You play pool, but do you smoke?

[Rich R.]

it looks like these smoking ban policies have created quite a shift.

I think it is the other way around. It is the shift in the public, from smoking to non-smoking, that has pressured politicians into passing smoking bans.
Polititians wouldn't pass bans, if the majority of voters didn't want them. This poll reflects those numbers.

 

[FLICKit]

I think it is the other way around. It is the shift in the public, from smoking to non-smoking, that has pressured politicians into passing smoking bans.
Polititians wouldn't pass bans, if the majority of voters wanted them. This poll reflects those numbers.

That's a Bass Ackwards post...

 

[Rich R.]

That's a Bass Ackwards post...

Thanks. I just edited my post. I think I have is straight now.

 

[DelaWho???]

I voted no because I'm pretty sure the poll is about tobacco, and that's just nasty. I personally like the smoking ban because it gives another 25% of the population the feeling of being ostricised for their behavior. Now you know how the pot smoker feels...lol

McCue Banger McCue

 

[FLICKit]

Thanks. I just edited my post. I think I have is straight now.

I re-read it, still looks bass ackwards to me...

 

[SCCues]

Pool halls are smokey, in my local hall, nearly everyone smokes. It's always smokey, I come home smelling like smoke everyday. I'm wondering if there is a majority of pool players that smoke or that do not smoke...let's find out.

I don't smoke and when I come home from playing pool I have to take my clothes off in the wash room to keep from smelling up my home. Everyplace I've ever gone to play pool is full of smokers and it seems that pool and smoking cigarettes is very common.

 

[jimmymac]

I do not smoke,never have, have worked as a bartender in the past, I live in Fort Wayne, IN. As of June 1, 2007 we are going to a no smoking in public place. As a non-smoker this is great for me. However there is another issue here. I know several bar owner who are non-smokers, they allow smoking in the establishment now. They have the choice whether to allow smoking or not. Smoking is not illegal so how can the government tell someone what they can and cannot allow smoking in there business? Where does it stop? What are you not going to give up in the future? I know as a non-smoker it's MY CHOICE to go into a bar or not. By the way I may have maybe 3 beers in a months time. So I'm not going in for the drink. I enjoy playing with my friends in the bar leagues, I enjoy playing pool, I enjoy the freedoms we have in this country that are slowly going away. Thanks for your time. SORRY SO LONG.

 

[FLICKit]

... I enjoy the freedoms we have in this country that are slowly going away.

The old extremification argument.... Take any issue.... extremify it.... Then argue against that extreme!

For example, you could say, that if it's their right to have their smoke get all over other people and jeopardize people's health. Then (extremify) it's our right to go and spit in their face when they do. If they have no regard for us, then it's our right to do the same to them. If that isn't nasty enough, when it's done enough eventually someone will have some contagious disease. If you want to try to seek restitution for damages, then you'll have to prove which one had it.

OK, you don't like the spit in face argument. Well how bout then I can eat beans at the bar. When that smoke gets on us, then we can go and fart on you.

[Next comes the bravado response: oh well, if people do that, then we'll fight, or get a gun and shoot em.... We've heard it all before]

Trust me! If you really try to enact your extreme argument, you'll find very few supporters.
If you're not for the extreme argument that you pose, then many will be right there on your side.

Wonder how laws would be different if we extremified everything!!!

(I know.... making up words....)

 

[doitforthegame]

California banned smoking everywhere! ...Did all the restaurants and bars and pool rooms shut down? C'mon people. JoeyA is stating the obvious. Smokers use this argument that every business will shut down if smoking is outlawed. It just doesnt happen. Over 50% of our country (by population) is currently under a smoking ban for public places. Guess what? 50% of our country did NOT shut down.

Gene, as a former pool room owner that was forced out due to a smoking ban I must respectfully disagree with you. When the city council was going to impose their will on my city, I used to take a poll at 9pm of the smokers. It was 60% smokers 40% not. The 40% for the most part were playing pool with smokers. It was very rare that non smokers would hold a table. (that is because non-smokers CHOSE not to enter my room of their own free will). When the ban came, I held on for a little less than a year and then I was forced to close.

If people read this from Massachusetts, please add to the list of rooms that closed since the smoking ban in Mass: Pockets, Haverhill, Breakers, Woburn, Mickeys, Brighton Billiards; and......

I am a non smoker but I got to tell you, I have a real problem with people not letting me CHOSE. You know how that is a battle cry. But it seems like you can CHOSE only when it falls within a certain ideology.

Bob Campbell

 

[whitey2]

Mr. Billiards in MA closed, Chalkies also

Hi,

Yeh, I'm from MA. Mr. Billiards was my room, and first they
made him segment the room into a smoking/non-smoking room,
if he wanted to allow smoking. It cost him $20,000 to do it.
Then a while later, they said "no smoking period". I'm not
sure if Chalkies closed for the same reason, perhaps.

Also, keep in mind that this poll is taking place among folks
who are pool players, but also folks that participate in pool
forums. I'm just saying this, to indicate that it is not taking
place among a complete cross-section of folks that visit
pool rooms. The owner of (former) Mr. Billiards said that
the statistic was 80% of pool players smoked back then.

 

[cuejoey]

I don't smoke and when I come home from playing pool I have to take my clothes off in the wash room to keep from smelling up my home. Everyplace I've ever gone to play pool is full of smokers and it seems that pool and smoking cigarettes is very common.

i hang mine up in my garage .then the next day i bring them in and wash them..

 

[rookie6018]

I have been playing pool for several years and yes I am a smoker. I feel a sense of annoyance with all the laws being imposed across the country to push smokers further and further away.
Yes, I understand smoking is unhealthy, but so are several other things we put into our body on a daily basis.
Yes, extremely smokey environments can cause clothes to smell, but those same non-smokers that eat large amounts of greasy food growing morbidly obese decreasing their health and raising the insurance costs for others also affects others.
So, I think I will perfectly accept a completely non-smoking environment when a law is passed requiring indiviudals to stay within a certain level of body fat.
It sounds ludicrous, but if we say it's ok for government to limit our activities in one area, we may as well say..."thank you sir, may I have another."
Besides, when I'm on the road, if I walk into a pool hall and there isn't a hint of smoke in the air, I go on to the next pool hall. No worthwhile action would reside in such an establishment. Real pool players don't care about the smoke when they're the ones running out. It's the ones sitting the rail losing or not gambling that notice the level of smoke in the air.

 

[Jimmy M.]

Yes, extremely smokey environments can cause clothes to smell, but those same non-smokers that eat large amounts of greasy food growing morbidly obese decreasing their health and raising the insurance costs for others also affects others.

My wife is a vegetarian. I'm not, but I eat far less meat than the average American. Neither of us eat deep fried food, nor anything greasy at all. As far as I know, we're both in very good health. Neither of us smoke.

 

[cueandcushion]

If people read this from Massachusetts, please add to the list of rooms that closed since the smoking ban in Mass: Pockets, Haverhill, Breakers, Woburn, Mickeys, Brighton Billiards; and......


Bob Campbell

I don't know why all these pool rooms closed in Massachusetts. But I do know that pool is in a decline all over our country. St Louis has had NO smoking bans and 4 major rooms have gone under in the past year and numerous smaller rooms and bars. I think it is just cyclical, but who knows. Massachusetts has one of the lowest smoking rates in the entire country so it would follow that the effect of a smoking ban would also be the lowest. I read on statehealthfacts.org that only Utah and Connecticut have lower smoking rates nationwide than MA does. I have no doubt that smoking bans affect business....but it is usually only the death blow to a small % of business that were barely making it before. Evolution is never easy in business.

 

[CaptainJR]

I'm still on the Non-Smoking list. Been since Christmas Day. It is still very tough, especially after a meal.

 

[Snapshot9]

Rofl .....

I have been playing pool for several years and yes I am a smoker. I feel a sense of annoyance with all the laws being imposed across the country to push smokers further and further away.
Yes, I understand smoking is unhealthy, but so are several other things we put into our body on a daily basis.
Yes, extremely smokey environments can cause clothes to smell, but those same non-smokers that eat large amounts of greasy food growing morbidly obese decreasing their health and raising the insurance costs for others also affects others.
So, I think I will perfectly accept a completely non-smoking environment when a law is passed requiring indiviudals to stay within a certain level of body fat.
It sounds ludicrous, but if we say it's ok for government to limit our activities in one area, we may as well say..."thank you sir, may I have another."
Besides, when I'm on the road, if I walk into a pool hall and there isn't a hint of smoke in the air, I go on to the next pool hall. No worthwhile action would reside in such an establishment. Real pool players don't care about the smoke when they're the ones running out. It's the ones sitting the rail losing or not gambling that notice the level of smoke in the air.

I pretty much agree with you. How many fat kids do you see running around today, or people in their early 20's that look like they haven't exercised since Jr. High made them. There used to be a source of pride about keeping oneself in good shape and looking good, but I don't see it much today. Young girls wearing revealing clothing with rolls of fat hanging out. Young guys that can't even spell pushup, let alone do 10 or more. It's kind of like Pool, everyone wanting to be good WITHOUT working for it.

Most rooms that recognize that smoke can be a problem will make sure their room has adequate ventilation. The only time I notice a problem is when I am playing in a tournament with 128 players, with other people present too, otherwise, it isn't much of a problem. Now, having to take a 10 minute break every 20-30 minutes in a set or match to go smoke outside would be a problem to me, as it would ruin the continuity of the match.

 

[DelaWho???]

My wife is a vegetarian. I'm not, but I eat far less meat than the average American. Neither of us eat deep fried food, nor anything greasy at all. As far as I know, we're both in very good health. Neither of us smoke.

I fail to see your point here.....Gold star for the healthy lifestyle.....Are you drinkers? Most pool rooms have alcohol, so we should ban that too.

Pretty soon only the healthiest most morally straight people will be allowed inside. The rest of us will be out partying in the street...

McCue Banger McCue

 

[worriedbeef]

ban the dirty habit i say. the only problem is we've become morally apathetic towards it because we've been around it for so long. i can't stand it, ninety nine percent of the time my bunged up eyes and nose from the smoke is the reason i cut short my stay at the pool hall.

 

[doitforthegame]

smoking

I agree. See what I hate are the hypocrites. Smoking is the worst thing to happen before global warming, but thank you very much for the taxes we collect so we can force more social engineering programs down everyones throat. It is like this state rep in mass (Tucker (D) Andover)... she is SO opposed to gambling and casinos in Mass. It is horrible... So where does she go to have a fund raiser for her reelection...you got it Foxwoods. Not to mention that Mass has one of the largest state run lotteries in the nation (think about all the political hacks that get appointed). Anyway, I digress. We all know how bad smoking is. Just make it illegal. Period. Either that or tax is so much, that no one will buy it. But if there really was honesty in the debate, someone, somewhere would be on the soapbox saying we have to ban it altogether.

 

[Jimmy M.]

You fail to see my point because you failed to read my post. I was responding to someone else's post, which I quoted in my post, where they said something about "all the non-smokers who ..." (read the post if you really care). My point is that "all of the non-smokers" don't do whatever it was the other poster was saying they do.

I fail to see your point here.....Gold star for the healthy lifestyle.....Are you drinkers? Most pool rooms have alcohol, so we should ban that too.

Pretty soon only the healthiest most morally straight people will be allowed inside. The rest of us will be out partying in the street...

McCue Banger McCue