Smoking declared a basic human right

iol.co.za ^ | April 14, 2004 | iol.co.za

[RogerFGay]

Oslo, Norway - A Norwegian county has declared smoking to be a basic human right in a dispute over a ban imposed on one town's workers.

Levanger, a township of about 18 000 people in central Norway, banned all smoking by municipal employees during working hours on or off city property at the beginning of the year.

The ruling, which made national news Wednesday, came after three opponents of the rule, all local council members from the right-wing Party of Progress, asked the county governor's office to assess the ban's legality.

In a letter to the city dated Tuesday, the county declared the ban invalid because it violates the European Human Rights Convention.

It said the city can ban smoking on its property, but not, for example, if a worker was driving their own car or on private property.

The county cited a section of the convention that protects citizens' private lives.

The letter said "a total ban on smoking during working hours is a measure that is not reasonable in relation to the goal of the ban."

Birger Meinhardt and Steinar Holten, two of the politicians who lodged the complaint, celebrated the ruling on the steps of the Levanger town hall by lighting up the biggest cigars they could find.

"Just like before January 1, 2004," Holten told the Troender-Avisa newspaper as he puffed on the cigar. - Sapa-AP

[Mears]

If I were an Irishman I'd be angry too.

The EU is becoming top heavy and I think the countries that stayed out of it made the right choice.

I love Ireland,but will not go again because of the smoking ban.

[Mears]

Skol,Norway!!!!!!!!!!!

[SheLion]

Thanks for the ping!

[Rebelbase]

Hooker #1: Do you smoke after sex?

Hooker #2: I don't know, I've never looked.

[Great Dane]

Calling smoking a basic human right is just as silly as calling gay marriage a basic human right.

The same can be said of just about anything else you can think of.

[Great Dane]

right of other people to breathe in plain air.

I am glad you didn't say CLEAN air, but tell me, where do you find even plain air, if worried about air quality, smoke is the least of the bad stuff.

[little jeremiah]

I live in the Pacific Northwest, 4 miles from a town of 1200, surrounded by forest and mountains. Believe me, the air is clean here. About 30 or 40 miles from the coast, where the air comes from.

[MeekOneGOP]

[Great Dane]

I live in the Pacific Northwest, 4 miles from a town of 1200, surrounded by forest and mountains. Believe me, the air is clean here. About 30 or 40 miles from the coast, where the air comes from.

I hope you're right, both Antartica [sp] and the North pole are polluted, and thats as far from the maddening crowd as you can get.

[Nick Danger]

Believe me, the air is clean here. About 30 or 40 miles from the coast, where the air comes from.

Where do you think fish farts go?

[little jeremiah]

Is that an attempt at humor - maybe you have too much time on your hands...

[Gabz]

Regardless, a bit of cigarette smoke is the least of your worries........

The nearest town to me has 300 and that's about 3 miles away, I'm 15 miles from the Atlantic and 10 miles from the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by farms and woods........no one is complaining about cigarette smoke.

[little jeremiah]

Sounds like a nice place...

[metesky]

Norwegan common sense bump.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

"I love Ireland,but will not go again because of the smoking ban."

I'm not trying to insult you when I say you are doing us a favour, rather I believe the only way the Irish government will U-turn on this is when our tourist numbers drop.

So Yanks please, I know it's tempting to visit long lost relatives, to kiss the Blarney Stone (us natives don't get that one), chasing Leprechaun's crocks of gold at the end of rainbows, looking for four leaf shamrocks (there's actually no such thing as a shamrock, they are different varieties of clover), and stuff like that, but go somewhere else for a couple of years in order to force Bertie's hand on the matter.

And then we can all meet up in a West-of-Ireland pub, with Croagh Patrick and Clare Island in the backround, with big King Edward cigars, and discuss how FR helped to bring down Ireland's smoking ban- so spread the word- 'Scotland is just as green as Ireland, but they didn't ban smoking.'

[Madame Dufarge]

I'm not trying to insult you when I say you are doing us a favour, rather I believe the only way the Irish government will U-turn on this is when our tourist numbers drop.

You're 100% correct.

I'm taking the same approach here in Maine, discouraging tourists from visiting for the same reason. When the marketplace's voice is heard, there may an outside chance that there are one or two not-totally-brain-dead liberal lawmakers who will hear.

It's a longshot, but it's been my experience that in spite of their lofty declarations of caring deeply, so deeply, about their constituents' "health and safety," the real siren call that they answer to is that of the almighty dollar.

Even they know that they can't buy votes without the geeters.

[SheLion]

Even they know that they can't buy votes without the geeters.

Exactly. Even I have been advisting tourists to go to NH instead of Maine. Because smoking is still allowed around NH. Let the lack of the tourist buck hit Maine hard. I know I live in this state, but look what the lawmakers did to US!

[TheSpottedOwl]

It said the city can ban smoking on its property, but not, for example, if a worker was driving their own car or on private property.

OMG, common sense!

[Mears]

Loved your post. Whenever I travel I always pity the folks that live in the towns that we tourists visit.

Tourists are hated on Cape Cod,here in Massachusetts,but their economy depends on them. Ireland would do fine without us.

I love Scotland too,and London is my favorite place in the world so I guess I,and my butts,should be okay.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

"Ireland would do fine without us."

I would hope it won't do all that fine, in order to bring down the smoking ban.