I was excited to move to Toronto, but what I was most thrilled about was that I could finally walk everywhere I wanted to go. Only when I actually started walking everywhere did I realize that there were so many people who smoked. It feels like each day at least one person blows a puff of smoke directly in my face or flicks a butt in my general direction. I am very happy that Ontario has banned smoking indoors, but we need more. Things are starting to improve; buildings now have designated smoking areas away from doorways, many outdoor public spaces have done the same and on top of that packaging updates may help to further deter smoking.
For 8 years Canada had been working on new warning labels for cigarettes. It was argued that the current labels were stale and had become less shocking to smokers and that a toll-free quit line should be included to help promote change. Since, new labels were unveiled and strict laws about the way cigarettes are displayed have been put in place.
This year the United States will be working to get their new labels ready for Fall of 2012. Progression was stalled by a federal judge earlier this month who argued that the new labels were not factual. Whether or not this is true, smoking is an annoyance and health risk for everyone and it is not fair to compromise the well being of others.
I am hopeful that my generation will help to decrease smoking and that I will have to deal with the invasion on my personal space less and less the longer I live in the city.
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