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jen wrote on Apr 24, 2009 3:40 PM:

" You wrote it perfectly "I was the child". not to say that police sould spend all their time pulling over smokers, but this law would certainly get the point across to all parents who do poisen their children every day. what kind of parent would purposely give their child medical problems, or pontentially, death? if they are smart enough to know the damage they are causing then they are child abusers. if they are just too stupid to figure it out then perhaps we'll just call them ignorant.Hopefully, people who know better do better. I watched a lady die of lung cancer once. her husband sat by her side,so sad. he was a smoker & he told me that he thought it might happen to him, but never thought he would one day kill his wife. we used to not know how bad smoking was, but now there are no excuses good enough to expose others. "

I WAS THE CHILD wrote on Apr 24, 2009 1:19 PM:

" To: Blame it on the smokers

Well, well, well. You still don't get it. Yes, people drank after prohibition and the still do. But, hey, let me write this so your small, ignorant, smoker brain will understand, if I take a drink, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRINK IT TOO! If you smoke, I have to enjoy the stench right along with you. I could drink for hours and it would not affect you IN ANY WAY as long as I didn't barf on you or drive a car. People can drink, do drugs whatever, as long as their behavior doesn't effect ME. What my dad did when I was a kid affected my health, my mother's health, and the health of both of my siblings.

I don't expect they will collar every smoker for making their kids miserable in the car. However, I think on routine traffic stop the smoker should get a ticket.

You thinking is just like my dad’s was. You don't care because you want to smoke wherever and expect everyone to put up with it. I completely understand that level of selfishness because I lived with it. Let me remind you that I have rights too. One of which should be the right to breath clean air. Seem to me that would be right up there with …”life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Breathing clean air is required for “life,” if you want to get all constitutional about this ridiculous argument.

As for me getting some Kleenex and getting over it, I'm not over it because my sinuses are STILL messed up from living in a forest fire for 18 years. So, when I am completely healthy I will stop complaining. I just make my case to point out the awful trauma CHILDREN who live with smokers have to endure. Children don't have any control over their ignorant parents and their stupid choices. They have to suffer. I was giving a child’s perspective of life with a smoker.

As for my clothes and college education…when I got in high school I worked and paid for my own. I paid for college with scholarships and student loans that I have paid back. I’m not some trust fund brat; my parents didn’t have a lot of money.

Go spend five dollars a pack on cigarettes, light up in your car and take your kids for a drive. I’m sure they will love it….really. "

Blame it on Smokers wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:46 PM:

" Everyone has rights! Prohibition didn't work, it's like trying to outlaw prostitution. Does the federal government and the state of oregon believe they can honestly collar all the smokers and make them comply with that stupid law? Good luck! People are drinking again after prohibition. Let's make up another law! Let's make up something like it's illegal to ride an Elephant on main street on Wednesdays of odd number years. As for the racial crap, who cares what race you are. Get over it and move on. And "This is Why" Who paid for college and your clothes. Your old man should have spanked you for complaining so much. Your 44 years old and still not over it. Get a Kleenex...Give me a break.. I'll stop now it's time to smokem' if you gottem! Go Marlboro Man! "

A wrote on Apr 23, 2009 6:28 PM:

" To: I WAS THE CHILD

Smoking is healthier than facism.

Again, I do not condone smoking around minors anywhere, especially in your home where the smoke just hovers in every room, but the consequences of allowing the government to control what you do inside your own home will be much more severe.

We can't just keep passing law after law thinking it is going to fix the problems we have. Educating people on the dangers of ANYTHING has proven to work much better than prohibiting them from doing so. "

I WAS THE CHILD wrote on Apr 22, 2009 10:32 PM:

" I am 44 years old and I lived with a parent who is a smoker. He smoked in the car. He smoked in the house. Kids would make fun of me at school because I reeked so badly of smoke because my dad smoke cigars like people smoke cigarettes. He didn't care. I cried and told him how humiliated I was because kids made fun of the way I smelled. He didn't care. He's alive and well at 76, but he doesn't realize the damage he did along the way. He is lucky. I went through total misery. I had to put towels at the bottom of my bedroom door when I was in high school so all of my clothes wouldn't reek and I could sleep at night. I sat in smoke until I went to college. I suffered from chronic bronchitis as I got older, and then had to undergo three sinus surgeries due to cysts and inflammation. I have nodules on my vocal cords. I believe to this day that all of these problems were due in part to breathing cigar smoke for 18 years. I should not EVER have to be FORCED to partake of ANYONE'S FILTHY HABIT!! No child should have to either. I couldn't do anything about it as a child, I just suffered and cried. As an adult, I want smoking banned everywhere I step foot. I don't care if you are stuck smoking only in your house, in a closet, as far away from your children as possible. It is my RIGHT to breath clean air, and the right of all minors to breath clean air. It is not you RIGHT to force your children or anyone else to enjoy your habit. "

A wrote on Apr 18, 2009 12:36 PM:

" "" Does anyone else find it odd that our government is slowly trying to legalize marijuana while they are slowly making smoking illegal? ""

The government is not trying to legalize marijuana, the citizens of this country are because they are tired of paying BILLIONS of dollars to try and keep a plant from existing, not to mention from being arrested and viewed as criminals because of a plant that is much less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. Not to mentiont that it is IMPOSSIBLE to overdose on marijuana (THC), incase you didn't know that too.

And did Vaneisha just drop the race card? Who cares what race you are, me, or anyone else here because it has NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING, so get off of it. "

Sooo . . . . wrote on Apr 17, 2009 10:19 PM:

" Bush vetoed the tax increase on cigarettes, twice. "

converted smoker wrote on Apr 16, 2009 7:27 PM:

" Are they going to outlaw smoking in your home as well????? Give me a break!!! Is this what our tax dollars are paying for now????? "

Vaneisha wrote on Apr 16, 2009 10:51 AM:

" President Bush is the one responsible for the cigarette tax increase. He had the ball rolling on this long before Obama took office. Obama will eventually get this thing turned around. It's going to take a long time for Obama to reverse the problems George Bush caused. Our childrens are going to have a brighter future thanks to President Obama.

As and independent black woman, I am free to speak my mind, and I thank Obama for keeping this freedom alive. "

You have no right wrote on Apr 16, 2009 9:16 AM:

" to force your children to breathe your smoke PERIOD "

Odd wrote on Apr 16, 2009 7:42 AM:

" Does anyone else find it odd that our government is slowly trying to legalize marijuana while they are slowly making smoking illegal? "

Sooo . . . wrote on Apr 16, 2009 7:38 AM:

" Vaneisha, I am afraid that you are incorrect when you say “Obama will put an end to this nonsense”. Obama is the president that you can thank for the increased tax on your cigarettes, NOT Bush. It is highly unlikely that Obama will step in and stop a state issue – who knows he did fire a CEO. With Obama we will see change; increased unnecessary laws affecting our freedoms.

You are right there is not a 100% correlation of smoking and getting cancer. The truth is smoking does not cause cancer however, it increases the chances of you getting cancer exponentially. People may already have pre-cancer or cancer cells. Smoking causes those cancer cells to grow at a faster rate then they would if you didn’t smoke. People who smoke die from lung cancer and people who don’t smoke die from lung cancer. It would be naive for any of us to say that smoking doesn’t cause any health problems.

I don’t think any of us who are against this law would WANT people to smoke around children, that is not the point. The point is that this is a slippery slope to increased government and less freedom. First the government is telling us what to do in our cars eventually they will be telling us what we can and can't do in our own homes. "

Eternal Optimist wrote on Apr 15, 2009 2:19 PM:

" One possible, and perhaps unexpected, upshot of this law is that if drivers are not smoking while they carry passengers under 16, the chance of the driver dropping a lit cigarette into his or her lap, or otherwise being distracted by it, is eliminated. Perhaps this will help reduce accidents? "

THIS IS WHY wrote on Apr 15, 2009 12:52 PM:

" Kidding, I think you make a very good point. If this law is passed it will probably be one of those that is never enforced or one that is abused when trying to enforce it. Vaneisha, I will back off some with you also as your point (this time) I believe is also a reasonable one. We all know people who have smoked many years whom have live long good lives. For every example like these there are thousands of examples of people who smoke and are not healthy and have reduced many many years off there lives. I dont believe our government should dictate to any of us whether we can or cannot smoke but as time goes on there is more proven fact that smoking can and does cause cancer and second hand smoke is even worse. Any attempt to keep childern safe and smoke free (even second hand smoke) is a good thing. This law may be a bad way to go about it but the its goal to protect children is honorable. Right now if I dont want to breath your smoke I can walk away or leave. Your children in your vehicle do not have that option and to hear you say a little smoke wont kill them bothers me. You do as you wish & raise your kids as you wish. I hope you can at least see a little sense in all this and maybe not force your kids to breath this crap that you dont think is harmful, cause it is. "

kidding wrote on Apr 15, 2009 12:15 PM:

" Ok now I have thought some more on this and my next question is..... the smoke stays in your vehicle for a period of time so even if you AREN'T smoking when a child is present, what if you are picking that child up from somewhere and you just put out a smoke. Wouldn't that "lasting" smoke be secondhand smoke? Same effect correct? And if you get pulled over because an officer may think you were smoking and you hadn't, but yet your vehicle smells like smoke, will you get a ticket? Rules that the govt. changes are sometimes not good!See what a waste of time this is? And I am not one for spanking or beating a child, but as soon as they took away discipling your child , kids picked up on this and used it against parents. I remember the fear of the prinicipal having a board in his room that would be used for spanking if you misbehaved. The fear of that was enough for me to stay out of trouble. Kids have nothing to do now either because they can't work, so what do you expect?( This is another subject.) Smoking is bad and habitful and no one should have to breathe in the smoke , but to actually put it against the law? Like I said earlier, let's look into the REAL child abuse cases and take care of them! "

Vaneisha wrote on Apr 15, 2009 10:57 AM:

" Now don't you go talkin to me that way! My grandfather has smoked his hole life and he is 93. He is still goin strong. You shouldn't judge people. My mother smokes and she is 72 and in perfect health. Folks get lung cancer that don't smoke and folks get lung cancer that do smoke. There ain't no real proof that smoking causes cancer. And yes I can run around my block and not be tired. I work a physical job all day and I'm healthy. It ain't noones business about smoking and their childrens being around a little smoke. "

None wrote on Apr 15, 2009 10:27 AM:

" Smoker or not - I'm so glad that I live in the United States... the land of the free... independent... free thinkers... able to decide for ourselves... oh, wait a minute - we can't do anything without the government telling us what to do. Freakin' politicians... thanks for absolutely NOTHING. Stupid and unnecessary "laws" being passed when there are more important things to worry about. Losers. "

THIS IS WHY wrote on Apr 15, 2009 7:47 AM:

" VANEISHA, you are exactly the kind of person why these type of laws come about. Are you freaking kidding me! You have smoked since you were 12, obviously proud of it and you think your in good health? Really? And President Bush is the cause of all this smoke ruckus and Obama is going to stop the nonsense? Is cigerattes all you smoke?? Most smokers will tell you they would like to quit but cant and they will also tell you that second hand smoke to a child is not healthy. You want to smoke, so be it but dont even try to say it does not ruin your health. Ill bet you could not walk around the block without feeling like your going to die!! "

Vaneisha wrote on Apr 15, 2009 6:29 AM:

" All this talk about banning smoking needs to stop. My childrens are healthy and so am I. I've smoked since I was 12 years old. I am now 43 and I have no health problems. President Bush tried to scares everyone and it ain't gonna work. Obama will put an end to this nonsense. I know better and so do most of us. "

HA wrote on Apr 14, 2009 3:11 PM:

" Good point So!! I hope they do that also. If parents are not smart enough to not smoke around there kids then let the FBI take over! Maybe a swat team can start taking some of these criminals out for good. "

Sooo . . . wrote on Apr 14, 2009 1:23 PM:

" Will the government be outlawing smoking in houses as well when there are children 16 and younger present? What about the poor 17 year old who is to young to smoke yet is old enough for second hand smoke? "

A wrote on Apr 14, 2009 12:42 PM:

" You can't "ban" everything that is harmful, lol. Nothing would be left.

If people are stupid enough to suck on a stick that is proven to cause cancer and other things, then let those stupid people have their smokes. If you ban it, you will instantly create an untaxable black market for tobacco, and all that tax money we currently get off the sale of tobacco, would become "drug money". "

A wrote on Apr 14, 2009 12:33 PM:

" While I absolutely do not agree with them passing laws against it, if you are smoking with your children in your vehicle then something is wrong with you. What kind of a parent puts their own children in harms way?

Kinda ironic how the tobacco smokers blow it in their kid's faces all day long, and I retreat to the shed to smoke a joint away from everyone....yet I am the criminal, lol.

You shouldn't be smoking around your kids, period. But having laws against it is completely asinine. Our officers have bigger fish to fry, and thats just how it is. You can't save them all, and "nerfing" the entire country will cause more harm than good. "

Help me understand wrote on Apr 14, 2009 10:14 AM:

" I understand your concern for the children in the car and actually for everyone in the car. I am an ex-smoker who actually couldn't stand the smell smoke but was hooked on cigarettes for along time. My concern is that you are banning the wrong people who I consider are victims from cigarette companies who produce them and then are allowed to sell them freely. Why don't we as a country ban the Cigarette Companies from making the poison then being able from the government to distribute the same poison by selling it to the trillions of people who are dying from it. They have put more chemical in cigarettes that are probably far worse than the drugs on the streets. Those are the people we should be banning...Why aren't they banned? "

Vaneisha wrote on Apr 14, 2009 8:34 AM:

" I consider myself a liberal person. I think that I should be able to smoke wherever I want. President Obama even smokes from time to time, I'm sure with his childrens in the car, as well. I've smoked with my childrens in the car for a long time. They have never had a problem with it. They are perfectly healthy. There is no proof that second hand smoke hurts, it is just right wing propoganda that originates from George Bush. "

Whatever wrote on Apr 13, 2009 6:14 PM:

" So without knowing it, I grew up a "abused child" while my parents not only smoked in the car with us, but in the house as well. Just because they (the government) didn't know at the time that it was bad for you to be around second hand smoke. I was exposed to second hand smoke, spanking, even screamed at in public, and I turned out to be a good person and good parent. So much for growing up an "abused" child! "

Get real wrote on Apr 13, 2009 12:48 PM:

" Does anyone agree that our country is becoming more and more communistic?? Lets get real people our government is out of control and worrying about issues that should take a back seat to the real issues out there. Discipline of our children is not heard of and yet when they do get in trouble with the law then they ask the parents why they can't control them. Why don't we start to get back to the real principles this country was founded on and quit trying to take away more and more of its citizens rights!!!! "

Non-smoker Gun Owner wrote on Apr 13, 2009 7:17 AM:

" If they (state/federal lawmakers) can pass unnecessary laws on things like alcohol and tobacco, of course the next logical step (to me, anyway) is the further restriction of gun rights. The same people who say they support the second amendment will try to pass laws skirting around it. Just wait and see. "

Sue wrote on Apr 12, 2009 12:45 PM:

" Give me a break.
Enough of this policing every thing a smoker does. Common sense should be used around children at all times. As well as curtosies to non smokers. I am sick to death of these small little enjoyments in life being taxed,made illegal,and chastied. I should also have rights. We were told we could NOT smoke in public, bars, eatting establishments. No votes from us. This is dictation. This is also out of hand.
I PAY one heck of alot of money to smoke. Do I like it no. I am addicted.
My Doctor advised me that smoking is more addictive than herion. This is NOT fair.
The tobacco famers big corporations should be attacted for adding all of these addictive ingredients also. let them take some responsabilities. "

wrote on Apr 11, 2009 6:01 PM:

" Just to idiotic for words...... "

Julia Greenfield wrote on Apr 11, 2009 12:56 AM:

" I think this is absolute nonsense. If these politicians really cared about our children they would pass bills that put physical education back into the schools, pass laws against feeding our children chicken nuggets and veggie soaked in margerine for a school lunch and then calling it heathly. They talk about the health risks linked to second hand smoke, but isn't heart disease the number one killer in America. Maybe they ought to focus more on the fact that are children are becoming more and more obese and less on the handful of parents who smoke in their cars. What a waste of time and the tax payers money. "

Jean wrote on Apr 10, 2009 2:20 PM:

" How can the government make laws against a legal substance, I don't get it, it would be better to just make it illegal to smoke and be done with it. What the police don't have enough to do now they are going to police the smokers, come on let's get real. The police need to be concentrating on the real bad guys not the smokers, real child abusers, What next we can't smoke in our homes, BIG BROTHER is watching. This governement takes to much on themselves, don't we have an economy to fix maybe they should be concentrating on that issue, wait until the police get these calls, while he is out giving someone a smoking ticket the killer gets away, GET REAL! work on the real issues at hand. "

non-smoker wrote on Apr 10, 2009 10:10 AM:

" I am a non-smoker, but I am dumbfounded by the number of laws, restrictions and penalties being placed on a substance that is legal. If all these legislators really think that this is worth spending that kind of public time and money on, why don't they just make cigarettes illegal? I really don't get it. Do they really think that smoking parents are only smoking around their children while in the car? Get real.
Rep. Riley says he is always seeing kids sitting in "a vehicle full of smoke." How melodramatic. It's not like every time someone lights up in a car, it immediately turns into something out of a Cheech and Chong movie. Like "Kidding" said, how about dealing with REAL child abuse. There are some really lousy parents out there who don't smoke. While our police forces are stretched to the max, it appears it's the politicians who don't have enough to do. "

PERFECT wrote on Apr 10, 2009 8:15 AM:

" I hope the fine is $1000.00 for first offense and loss of license for the second offense!! Good job Oregon! "

kidding wrote on Apr 9, 2009 1:52 PM:

" You have got to be kidding. We don't have enough officers to do the job now and you are adding this on? And the majority of those who were cited, who ends up paying? I agree that kids should not be around second hand smoke but to try to enforce it this way is nuts! How about dealing with REAL child abuse? you have to call Bend now to report anything and then they "decide" if it is important enough. So do we call the smoking in too? Put our officers out where they are needed. "

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