Why do people smoke in front of the entrance?

Question

I used to be a smoker and I'd like to think I was a little more considerate than this. So often, when I go somewhere, people will be smoking directly in front of the entrance. How is that fair for others, especially CHILDREN, who may be negatively affected by smoke? I mean I've seen this at hospitals and little kid play parks, it seems like alot of smokers dont give a d**n. Why is that? And for those that smoke in the car with your kids, do you care that you are injuring them?

Answer 1

i know what you mean. I dont know where you are from but in the UK they have a smoking ban inside public areas so people over here crowd round the door so they can stay dry (if raining) and then they dont have to walk far lol

at the end of the day it is an addiction. and they will do anything for a smoke.

(coming from a smoker :S)

Answer 2

i think its cos there already outside so as long as there outside they can just smoke whereever they please. Or maybe its just cos they dont think of the people around them or there jusst lazy and careless.

Answer 3

because they're lazy and don't want to walk to a far away place to smoke.  

Answer 4

In NY you're supposed to smoke 25 feet away from an entrance but a lot of people don't.  It's rude and it really makes me mad.  I think smokers have the attitude that since they can't smoke inside they're not going to be inconvenienced and go any farther than they absolutely have to when they smoke outside.

Answer 5

Mostly becuase we cant smoke indoors.

I usually stand off to the side of the entrance but when I am walking from the parking lot to the entrance and am smoking my cigarette, I will smoke my last couple of drags as I approach the door.  At the mall where I work, the ashtray is located right infront of the entrance.

Answer 6

Last I checked, in front of an entrance is still considered outside. Since we are allowed to smoke outside still, I am going to smoke wherever I feel like it. So until the rules change AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! deal with it.

Answer 7

Depends of the situation.

Outside stores/public places: people just can't wait to light up so they do it as soon as they exit the building. Then because they were "withheld" from their habit in the store, they stand there and enjoy their cigarette while becoming a nucense to everyone else coming out.

Temperature: If it is cold outside they want to stay close to the door so they can feel some heat and if there is a vestibule, shelter from the wind.

Time: Some feel that the closer they are to the door the more smoking time they have. They can stand there until the last minute and then rush in.

I have to put up with this at my job. Outside the door there is a smoking break room with ash trays but the smokers like to sit on the rails along the narrow sidewalk to the parking lot instead. I don't now how many times I have had to hold my breath to walk through not only smoke, but cigarettes here and there and trying not to get burned by one. Then they throw their butts on the ground.

All together is just plain rude and inconsiderate.

The thing that eats at me is they think they have a right to do this.

They may have the right to smoke, but I don't and do not want to breath in it. So what about my rights. They can do it in their homes, cars, and outside, just away from entrances/exits and groups of people in general.

Smoking is a habit of choice. You choose to start , you choose to continue, and you can choose to stop. So if you choose to pick up the habit, rot your lungs, put yourself at risk for cancer or other breathing problems, and stink(smell a smoker sometime) then at least be considerate enough to take it out of the way of people who choose not to smoke.

Answer 8

Because there has been no conclusive research that second-hand smoke causes diseases.  

Answer 9

They're ignorant and inconsiderate and don't care about anyone else but themselves.

Answer 10

cuz they wanna finish their cigarette before they go into the building i would say it is rude to smoke in a car with other people without asking first i dont let people smoke in my car and they all kno that and are ok with it i am a nonsmoker but i think alot of nonsmokers blow things out of proportion just chill out plus u can hold ur breath for half a second as u walk in the door to a store smokers have rights too and shouldnt have to go out of their way for nonsmokers either it should be a split situation dont be so self centered and greedy just learn to deal theres no way to satisfy everyone and its not fair that smokers should not be able to smoke anywhere there migt be a nonsmoker thats not fair if u really think u are going to die because u walked past a person smoking maybe u should just not leave ur house ever the regular polution its self will kill u first. i am a non smoker and i dont like cigarette smoke either but who am i to tell smokers what to do just because i dont like it come on people get over urselves

Answer 11

I am a smoker.  And I full heartedly agree with you about people smoking at the entrances of restaurants, stores, the malls, etc.  My husband has a lung disorder and I have to be very careful about smoking ... and I DO NOT smoke around my grandchildren.  I go outside of my house, to a designated area, and when I am finished I rinse my mouth out and wash my hands.

I know, I know .... with all the hassle, I might as well quit ....

One of the problems with smokers outside the entrances of these places is that is where the establishments place the ashtrays, sand buckets, smoke stacks, etc.  What smokers fail to realize is that these areas are NOT for smoking, they are for customers entering to put out their cigarettes before entering.  I am a smoker, and even I get offended walking through the smoke to get inside.  My husband holds his breath and covers his nose and mouth.  It is a pain.

When laws were passed to remove smoking from public places, I think a lot of smokers decided that by being made to move outside, they feel justified to smoke anywhere they want as long as it is outside -- without a second thought of those entering and walking through the smoke, including the sick and children.  I think that is extremely rude.

By the way .... Texas has passed a law making it unlawful to smoke in a vehicle with a child inside.  

Answer 12

I hate when people do that. Everyday there are thousands of non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer or emphysema.

In Iowa there is a month old smoking ban in all public places. So the only place you can smoke is in your car or house. Its really nice not to have to worry about rude people blowing smoke in my face every time I go in the mall or enter a restaurant. But I'm worried about the children of smokers.

Answer 13

I know, I HATE that! I think a lot of smokers think they are doing us a favor by smoking right in front of the entrance and are a little annoyed that they can't smoke inside. I wish there were a room inside that had separate ventilation where they could smoke together, away from everyone, and go on killing themselves slowly--alone.  

Answer 14

That is odd, many states/cities have laws about being 50 feet or more from an entrance when smoking.