The power of the weed!

[ozuncle]

Randy,
I am sure you are aware that the main reason for the ban on smoking indoors is the risk of legal action by employees.
It is well known that passive smoking can cause cancer .
Perth now has a total ban on smoking indoors in hotels and restaurants and govt workplaces.
The casino has been allowed to carry on for the time being.
Do you smoke in the vicinity of people eating? I hope not.
Now, if you work for the govt here you cant just go outside for a smoke.
You have to go a certain distance away. (20 mtrs I think).
I think you are lucky that Thailand is your preferred abode.
They will take some time to catch up with us "healthy" people.

[lomuamart]

Hey Ozuncle,
Thailand already has. A law was passed maybe 6 odd years ago that smoking in an air-conditioned restaurant was forbidden. That's fair enough. I'm not sure how much it's being enforced now, but certainly at the start air-con restaurants were noted for their lack of ashtrays.
More recently, it's forbidden to smoke in public areas - Lumphini Park in BKK was a prime example. People were getting fined for lighting up there.
There's also the question of littering. On the odd occasion I'm in BKK, I simply don't bother to smoke outside. If you're seen stubbing a fag end out on the street, you're liable to be fined even if you intend and are trying to dispose of the dog end properly. (BTW - rubbish bins are liable to ignite if you havn't extinguished the cigarette properly).
On a final note, cigarettes are not allowed to be displayed for sale anywhere - and I think this is enforced. Also, if you watch telly here, a cigarette can be shown, but must be pixellated out if it touuches the smoker's lips. A lot of the Western films are comical to watch now. You never see the actor/actress's face!!!!!!

[PeteC]

On a final note, cigarettes are not allowed to be displayed for sale anywhere - and I think this is enforced. Also, if you watch telly here, a cigarette can be shown, but must be pixellated out if it touuches the smoker's lips. A lot of the Western films are comical to watch now. You never see the actor/actress's face!!!!!!

Over this side the shops that sell cigarettes have simply put a big piece of cardboard over the display case with words printed in English and Thai "cigarettes sold here..." LOL.

Yes, the movie censoring is comical. You see the cigarette or beer bottle in the person's hands, then it gets smudged over with a blob when the cigarette or bottle goes to the person's mouth. Where do the viewers think those things are going? Perhaps in the future Thai kids will be putting burning cigaretes into their eye and beer bottles into their ears? Pete

[ozuncle]

Thanks Lomu,
I am not up to date with smoking over there.
I do remember they were very cheap.
A packet of 25 here costs about $12 (340 Bht) of which I think about half is tax.

[lomuamart]

Yup. Ciggies are about 380B for 20 in the UK now.
Same same here, Pete. The notices all read "we sell cigarettes".
As the thread also involves booze and mention has been made above to the pixellation of any kind of alcohol on Thai telly these days, I was amused a little while ago when the new law on off-sales came into force - ie the bit where you can only buy a beer from a shop between 11am-3pm and 5pm to midnight.
I was over at my local store at 9am one day and decided to stock up on Chang rather than go out again later. The lady started wrapping the bottles in newspaper. I thought she was concerned that they'd break if knocked together on the way home. It was nothing to do with that. She was worried that the police might see me coming out of her shop at 9am with beer and she'd get fined. They don't seem to bother with that any more.
I wonder when we're going to get the government passing a law that MSG isn't to be used in Chinese cooking? That would round things off nicely.
No unhealthy food, no smoking in public and don't get drunk!!!! They're also making inroads into sheltering us from the evils of the internet, television, newspapers, magazines, radio and any other form of mass communication.
It's all true, but said a bit tongue in cheek as no-one seems to take a blind bit of notice.

[nevets]

I like food to much , i should lose some weight ,as for the drink i can take it or leave it but i do like a few litre of singh on a night out ,which brings me to the weed packed up 25yrs ago and i am happy we have the open air bars here, not like in the UK all full of smoke and no air con. The new laws will change that though , but like Dawn said should it not be half and half. So its 1 food 2 alcohol