Nova Scotia has just passed a new provincial law going into effect next month which bans smoking in a vehicle carrying passengers under the age of 19. Apparently is was unanimously approved by all three political parties there.

I for one applaude this move. It'* aimed at protecting the health of their children. I'd love to see this adopted elsewhere.

Illinois is trying to do it also.

Personally I think it'* a load of crap. My mom smoked with me when she was pregnant and I'm fine. And I've been around it my whole life. I find this as another way for the country to control us. And I'm not just saying this because I smoke either. We all survived the 70'*/80'*/90'* with it. Yes it'* not good for children, but nobody should have the right to make this a law. What'* next? No smoking in your own home? That'* like saying radio while driving, it'* a distraction, so no more radio'* in cars . What happened to "land of the free"????

I better stop while I'm ahead............

I can already see this thread getting into a heated debate :?

I agree that some people don't seem to suffer the same ill effects as others (or perhaps I should say to the same extent), but I work in healthcare and there isn't a day that goes by when I don't deal with patients suffering a chronic, smoking related illness.

The post wasn't intended to get everyone stirred up, but just to share what'* being done in some regions.

I think it should be up to the parent to say, yes, I will smoke in the car, or no I won't. I'm not a smoker, however, I don't think its right to tell these people they can't smoke in or on there personal property. My mom always smoked in the car and in the house, and I have always had asthma.

I added after you quoted me

I will keep an eye on it, as normally, debates such as this do not last long on here or any forum, to many different views

Speaking strictly from a Canadian healthcare perspective (since I don't know all the specifics of the US health system), I USED to feel the same about seatbelt laws and mandatory use. If we take seatbelt laws for example, statistics prove that injuries in MOST cases are less severe than when seatbelts aren't used. Since we all pay into healthcare premiums, the taxpayers suffer an additional tax burden to keep people in ICU beds for literally thousands of dollars per day, when in many cases the severity of these injuries could have been significantly less. Therefore, in translation, I (as a taxpayer) ultimately pay monetarily for someone else not wearing their seatbelt. This is similar with virtually all health conditions. The goal is to eliminate these costs with preventative measures, where possible.

P.*. - Let'* try not to get heated about this stuff. I'm just interested in hearing other views! No need to go crazy here.

I am in 110% support of the law passed in Nova Scotia. I wish they would do something like that state-side.

I can't even begin to tell you how irked I get when I pass somebody smoking in their car with the windows up and children in the back seat. Those innocent kids are being subjected to the ill effects of second-hand smoke and can't do anything about it because they don't know any better.

Who the heck smokes with the windows up???? Now, I can't even stand that and I smoke myself I always roll the window down even in the winter. Granite, it'* not all the way down, but down enough to filter it outside.

This... this is just no good. You can not begin to imagine how much I dislike cigarettes. I mean... FFS, if you're gonna smoke something, at least smoke something that DOES something, aside from keeping you from having a nic-fit. My dad has smoked for quite some time. He smoked around me when I was a child, and does so today. I hate it, and I do not think it is right, nor is it fair to subject an innocent child to that crap. As to the seatbelt thing. I'd rather be injured than dead...