Smoking

This page is about smoking of tobacco products like cigarettes.

Smoking interacts in complex ways with our beliefs; it is an activity that can impose on and harm others, but efforts to control or discourage it can sometimes be carried out in ways that conflict with our beliefs as well.

Tobacco smoking can be an example of an addiction.

Shaming of smokers

Our practices specify for us not to try to make people feel guilt or shame. We would thus oppose any attempt to deliberately cause smokers to feel guilt or shame through a marketing campaign. PR campaigns can also violate our rules of communication in various ways, such as by attaching negative labels to smokers, presenting one-sided information, exaggerating, or demonizing people who smoke.

Shame and addition

We have discussed the possibility that shaming of smokers could actually make it harder for them to quit smoking, by fueling a general unhealthy psychological state in which a person is more vulnerable to addiction.

Smoking without directly impacting others

Because cigarette smoking can pose health risks to others, smoking in places where other people would be exposed to your cigarette smoke without their consent, would exist outside what we describe as a healthy state for society.

If you are going to smoke, to do so more in accordance with our beliefs, we have proposed that smokers:

• Smoke away from crowded public spaces, and doorways or passageways which people may need to travel through
• Obtain consent before smoking around other people

Designated smoking areas

We have discussed designated smoking areas, including both designated outdoor areas in crowded outdoor areas, and ventilated indoor lounges, as a way to facilitate smokers smoking in places that imposes less on other people. We have no consensus about who would pay for these areas and how/where they would be built or maintained.