Smokers Rights

Smokers Rights is an international political movement which argues that anti-smoking groups have been actively lobbying for infringement of both citizens' and business-owners' civil rights. Some Smokers' Rights groups claim that medical studies on the effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke, also known as secondhand smoke, are flawed, and that smokers' civil rights are being compromised.

Origins of the Smokers Rights Movement
Information on the origins of the movement.

People and Personalities
Information on the leaders of the movement, Famous members, and famous antis should be listed here (TO BE DONE)

Smokers Rights in Politics
The Smokers Right movement is neither a liberal or conservative cause.

While many elected officials currently support anti-smoking legislation, Smokers Rights activists have begun to make people aware of the discrimination currently being shown to smokers.

Smoking discrimination
Smoking discrimination has rapidly become a growing problem in countries implementing anti-smoking policy.

Examples of Smoking Discrimination include Smoking Bans (especially in places such as Cigar Shops, and Airports), hiring discrimination (32 US states currently prohibit this), un-rightful termination of employment, bullying, ostracizing of smokers, mis-association (claims that smokers are all drug users) and much more. Some companies have even gone so far as to prohibit their employees from smoking in the privacy of their own homes.These companies force their employees to undergo regular "mandatory testing to make sure employees are following the rules" Other organizations, such as the WHO refuse to hire smokers as a way of preventing the Smokers Rights movement from discrediting their science. (http://www.who.int/employment/FAQs_smoking_English.pdf - Citation to be added soon)

Yet another form of discrimination being attempted is to fine smokers into quitting. For example some companies are attempting to charge their employees additional money for Health Insurance if they smoke. Clarian a US Health insurance company plans to charge an additional $5 USD every two weeks to tobacco smokers. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287616,00.html - Citation to be added soon)

Different philosophies
Among the Smokers Rights Movement there remains two distinct philosophies, with similar but slightly different goals. One Philosophy, is that the science claiming smoking is harmful, is flawed. On the flip side, there are other groups such as the North American Association of Cigarette and Tobacco Smokers who belove that smokers should have equal rights, regardless of the health risks.

Anti-smoking movement
One of the claims made by pro-smoking groups is that the anti-smoking campaign was initially funded by pharmaceutical companies trying to sell smoking cessation drugs, and that by their successfully lobbying so they have managed to make an international issue of smoking and the Theory of second hand smoke, involving public health organizations, political figures, and many other influential people.

In the UK, the first major study was the 1964 "Mortality In Relation To Smoking: Ten Years' Observations Of British Doctors", which showed the excess mortality in 34,439 doctors from cancer of the lung, chronic bronchitis and emphsyema, and coronory thrombosis without hypertension in those aged 45-64 who smoked was approximately 50%. Continued observation of the test subjects allowed in 2004 for a 50 year review, which showed that "Among the men born around 1920, prolonged cigarette smoking from early adult life tripled age specific mortality rates, but cessation at age 50 halved the hazard, and cessation at age 30 avoided almost all of it." The first reported experimental use of nictoitine chewing gum was not until 1977, and subsequently in 1984. The anti-smoking lobby has made incredible inroads in a short amount of time with many countries, states, counties, and cities having adopted anti-smoking policies.

Anti-smoking beliefs
Antitobacco's first "Win" in the War On Smokers was on August 27th, 1993. A report issued by the US Government's CDC came out which linked tobacco usage with myriad diseases. While quickly shown to be lacking any real proof, the study was quickly reported on in the news and became a source of "fact" among the antitobacco minority.

Smokers Rights advocates have show that almost every major study regarding tobacco has used the data from this report. As a result, in their opinion any studies using that data, or a similar methodology is faulty. Until a proper medical study is done, showing that it is in fact the tobacco that causes cancer, and not a cofounder or combination of a cofounder and tobacco, there is no real way to tell how harmful tobacco is.

Most Smokers Rights activists (and the general population) believe that regardless of the health risks, people have a right to smoke if they choose to. When the Theory of second hand smoke first began to gain ground in the late 1990s, governments began to ban smoking in many indoor places. Most Smokers Rights activists have no problem with a loss of smoking in some workplaces, but simply want the owner of a business to be able to decide if they want to allow smoking or not. Many activists also feel that certain other public locations, such as airports should be required to provide smoking areas.

Anti-smoking methods
Some who advocate the rights of smokers feel the Anti-Smoking movement uses a variety of methods to disseminate information, including trying to create the impression that their viewpoint is the only valid argument.

Timeline
XX/XX/19XX - NULL

08/23/1993 - The MMWR was released by the CDC, becoming the first time any link between health and smoking was officially reported in the United States.

09/17/2007 - New Hampshire (A US State) becomes the last state in New England to completely ban smoking in indoor public places. (Source to Be added shortly)