Question:
Do I have the right to ask or demand that someone stop smoking near me outside on the street, or that they should move far away?
Cigarette smoke can easily travel 50 to 100 feet depending on the wind.
A few buildings have signs warning that there is no smoking within a certain amount of feet or meters from the entrance.
It is well known that smoking is extremely perilous to both the health of the one actually smoking, and to those who inhale their exhaled smoke, this is called second hand smoke, and is considered more dangerous than the original smoke that the smoker himself inhales.
According to the CDC, there is no safe limit for a non-smoker to be exposed to cigarette smoke, and the many bad effects are immediate.
Here is a link to the CDC article: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/health.html
The tobacco companies have already been sued for billions in damages.
It is astounding that so many people continue to smoke.
Answer:
Hello,
What they are doing is wrong and they should not be smoking, even in the street, however one does not have the right to demand that one who is smoking move away from them when they are both in a public domain. In any case it would be in everyone’s best interest to ask the person in a nice, considerate way. This is usually the way to get people to be considerate.
Best wishes
