Just want to say this about the law. A restaurant in the Virgin Islands has to have 70% of it non smoking. Don't know how or when they enforce it though.

RL

Noticed how much fun you are all having. No controversy needed. In California the people have spoken. 70% are opposed to smoking in any public building. That includes bars. It is the law there. That's they way it shoud be in the usvi.
I stay out of restaurants that allow smoking. I vote with my money.

The facts are that smoking is killing innocent bystanders. If you want to smoke go outside, but take your ugly butt with you when you leave.

Jill,
When was the last time you were on "island time"? 🙂

SMOKING IS LEGAL
DRINKING IS LEGAL
I don't smoke but don't mind smokers. I don't drink but despise drunks. I hate drunk drivers but I don't take it upon myself to monitor drinkers to see if they are driving. I don't tell drunks in restaurants or on the beach not to drink or spray them with anything. I am positive that if someone is smoking next to me on the beach that I will not die of lung cancer. Nor will I die of lung cancer if someone next to me in a restaurant is smoking. However I would not work in a bingo parlour or in a casino because a cloud of smoke burns my eyes. People are allowed to make those choices. I despise people who cuss loudly in public but I am free to walk away. Living in America is about being free. In the last 20 years we have lost so many of our freedoms because certain individuals take it upon themselves to police our once free society. Be very careful. The next freedom you lose my be something you love. Many of us move to the USVI because it is like going back 20 years and enjoying freedoms that we have lost on the mainland. The state of California is the forerunner of a Nazi type government with a gestapo population. I have no problem with that if that is were they all want to gather. I choose not to live there. I do have a problem with people like that instilling their Nazi laws on the rest of us who enjoy our freedoms. I do not understand people who choose not to live in harmony with others. We are all different with different cultures and lifestyles. Why that offends people to the point that they have to harass others is beyond my comprehension.

I greatly enjoy living on St. Croix and fortunately I have not run into any of the Nazi types who have been posting here who want to punish and harm someone for enjoying a legal activity instead of walking away if it offends them. There has only been one thing to mar my happiness on the island. There is a jerk who flys over my house with a helicopter! I put my toddler down for a nap, grab a book and lay by the pool and here it comes, whop, whop, whop. My dogs start howling, the baby wakes up screaming and I just want to shoot that damn helicopter out of the sky. It is making me nuts. We moved way out so we could have peace and quiet and this jerk is destroying my peace. Maybe if I make a Lysol bomb and send it into the sky, it would just go away. What do you guys think? I mean, it is legal for someone to fly in the sky. This is just a hard one to walk away from. It's my home.

Jill,
From your comments I gather that you think that anyone who drinks becomes obnoxious, anyone who drinks is irresponsible enough to get a DWI and kill someone. This is not true. Those are the irresponsible drinkers and they should be held responsible for their actions.

You seem to think that non-smokers should just avoid smoking areas. That would be most restaurants on STX. Most restaurants here consist of one big room where one side is called smoking and one side called non-smoking. They usually have a bar in the same room which allows smoking. No separators and no separate air conditioning. I guess non-smokers should just stay at home.

You seem to think that habits which are merely obnoxious to people near you are the same as habits which are actually unhealthy and harmful to the people near.

Yes this is the home of the free. Within limits. I am not allowed to poison you. If I were to come into a restaurant and spray you with pesticide that would be bad. I should not be free to do that. Did you know that nicotine is the main ingredient in many pesticides. Did you know that tobacco smoke has been declared to be a group A carcinogen. Not might be harmful but really is harmful. I should not be free to blow my smoke into the air you breath.

I would support your right to smoke if you could manage to keep all of your toxic gases to yourself. Oh and don't expect me to help pay your hospital bills when you go in for cancer treatment.

Patriot,
You insist on citing opinion as if it were fact. The facts say that even small amounts of secondhand smoke are harmful, especially to children. You also seem to confuse things which merely annoy you with things which actually harm you.

California pioneers many trends which become national requirements. Emission controls for engines and unleaded gas to name a couple.

I'm sorry that you don't like my helicopter but I assure you that it is not poisoning you and that I am obeying all FARs. I love flying too much to take a chance on loosing my license. Please don't shoot me, that would be a federal offense and it would be investigated by the FBI, especially since my helicopter is a US Coast Guard Operational Facility.

STT Resident,

There is a Huge theory (conspiracy at best) that thinks the cigs made in the U.S.A. have some 'secret' additional addictive chemicals that kill you faster than cigs made anywhere else. There are people in the U.S.A. that pay lots o' money to order cigs made in Europe to avoid those 'secret' ingredients. So, your argument that you and your mother smoked and lived long lives could prove that the theory that the cigs made in Europe are not as harmful. 😛

I really don't mean to stir the pot. I was just enjoying the drama and noticed that this theory was being missed. My grandfather switched from 'American' cigs to handrolled cigars to avoid the 'enhanced' government controlled cigs after his doctor said he needed to quit smoking to live longer.

Being a non-smoker or rather an occasional smoker, I think I would prefer to go to a club or bar to dance, have a few drinks, play some pool, and not be hacking up a lung from the smoke. When you are not a smoker, it is so much more enjoyable to eat, drink, and have fun without smoke in the air, but for those who do smoke, they wouldn't understand so much. So again, I feel for both sides and really don't care much either way as I don't get to go out and have a drink much anymore with three kids, a dog, and a husband to care for...:P

My only opinion is for all you smokers to not drop your butts! It does kind of suck to have your kids build sand castles on the beach with cig butts sticking out of it at all angles.

Teresa (Just ignore me, I go away)

Roto, I never break the law and I am not confused about anything. You however are arrogant and militant. Most pilots are arrogant (Married to one so I know) Militant and arrogant is dangerous. As far as you following FARs, we will see. If you are who I think you are you are flying a bit too low over the beaches. Something goes wrong and you don't glide anywhere, Just drop like a bomb on all those little kids you are trying to save from second hand smoke. Same with who ever is buzzing so low over my house. Time for me to be a little more proactive and check it out. Where in the hell is my can of Lysol? Oh, I forgot, my son is so deathly allergic to it that we have to carry as epipen every where we go. (very true). I hope to God we aren't sitting next to anyone smoking if Roto is around with his Lysol can because it could kill our little boy.

As far as California goes, why don't you just go back to Gods Country and be at peace? Beautiful beaches, mountains, wonderful weather and like minded people. I would call it mainland paradise for people who think like you. Why come to the USVI and be miserable with all the LEGAL SMOKING. Just walk away my friend as fast as you can. Live in peace. Eat in a smoke free environment. Have Lysol parties in the bathhouses while everyone gets high. Peace and goodnight.

Patriot,
You really like to call people names don't you?

I have never said that people should not be allowed to partake of legal activities. I have acknowledged that smoking is legal in the USVI at this time. I do however advocate making smoking in public places illegal. I have a right to hope for that someday. Laws are enacted all the time, especially when they are in the public interest.

Let me understand, tobacco good, Lysol bad. I have seen many articles about the deaths caused by tobacco smoke but I don't remember a single article about death by Lysol.

members.tripod.com/~Prof_Anil_Aggrawal/poiso011.html -

google Lysol deaths

Unfortunately, I can't put much creedance with anyone from California. The gay, earthquake, mudslide, forest fire, white zinfindel capital of the world has no sway with me.. I'm from a generation (60) that grew up with first and second hand smoke. I will admit, not necessarily a wonderful smell but I can assure you we are not out here dying from second hand smoke. That's something you and your touchy, feely, acid induced lefties made up. Yes, I know, charcoal fires also cause cancer but I still have my Weber and char the crap out of my steaks... My dad survived WWII (Normandy Invasion...tank exhaust, mortars, and Lucky Strikes but still is going stron at 83. Attention Californians...it did, WWII did happen ..Tom Hanks didn't make it up.. Dad smoked Camels for many years. If we didn't like the smoke...we stepped away from it...what a concept. The same folks that want to ban tobacco smoke want to make maryjane legal....oy yes medical only...who's smoking what?
By the way, they just evacuated a huge high school here a few days ago because they broke a beaker of a small amount of mercury...I thought this could only happen in California...we used to break the thermometers on purpose to play with the mercury.

Former smoker but hate health nazis...reminds me of the old movies when the woman would faint at the mere presence of danger...now they cough and gag at the mere presence of tobacco smoke...but then brand/tatoo their ass. What am I missing here?

The story is about a someone who commits suicide by drinking Lysol liquid. I have only suggested freshening the air with Lysol spray.

http://www.lysol.com/solutionsfinder_na.shtml

Oh Please Roto, google Lysol deaths. Read more. In any case don't you know that you are destroying the ozone layer by using aerosol sprays. You are killing us all.

One last thing (especially to anyone from gods free air I am perfect California). Old dad was and still is a mechanic (works on cars to Californaians). He;'s sucked up more Raybestos...brake linings/asbesto and carbon monoxide than most anyone in modern life can imagine. Gawd I'm glad his treadmill isn't gas or smoke powered to offend any health nazis. Nowadays, they shut down schools and make construction workers look like they've been chemically attacked to tear down an old school...asbestos you know. Safety is good but common sense is a NON PLAYER.

Ever seen someone die from mesothelomia? I have and it isn't pretty at all with no KNOWN cures or effective treatments. And unlike lung cancer which can develop without smoking, the only cause is asbestos exposure.

How about the effects of lead on children? Have you ever seen a neurologically impaired person due to lead poisoning but the toy shelves are flooded with it.

The risk for leukemia increases by four to seven times for children, ages 10 and under, whose parents use home or garden pesticides.

The risk of childhood brain cancer is associated with the use of pesticide "bombs" in the home, pesticides to control termites, flea collars on pets, insecticides in the garden or orchard, and herbicides to control weeds in the yard, including exposure to two common pesticides available in garden shops.

In 1990, more than 4,000 toddlers under age four were admitted to hospital emergency rooms as a result of household cleaner-related injuries. That same year, 18,000 pesticide-related hospital emergency room admissions were reported with almost three-fourths for children age fourteen and under.

Methylene chloride, the propellant used in many aerosol products, is carcinogenic. Some products containing methylene chloride have been pulled from the market, but the carcinogen continues to be found in many consumer products such as spray paint and stripper. indoor latex paints used widely for decades contained highly neurotoxic mercury-based fungicides. But it was not until 1990 that manufacturers finally removed most of these potent neurotoxins.

Not a single cosmetic company warns consumers of the presence of carcinogens in its products - despite the fact that a number of common cosmetic ingredients are carcinogenic or carcinogenic precursors.

Some experts estimate that 20 percent of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases among women are attributable to their use of hair dyes.

Obesity is correlated to cancer and there is a very high correlation between fat intake and some cancers such as prostate cancer.

And what about all those chemicals added to/used in food to make it "diet" or artifical flavors, colors including artifical sweeteners. Ah! but you'll be skinny when you die (maybe!).

preventcancer.com/press/pdfs/hazardous.pdf

Thank-you, you made my point...people are dying everywhere from causes from who knows where but it AIN'T all from second hand smoke. Autism is all of a sudden very frequent...but not so for us second hand smoke infected WWII baby boomers. Maybe it's from tatoos or pierced ears. Maybe it's some mothers now do drugs, booze and smokes while pregnant...I see it all the time. Lots of things to blame it on known and unknown.

Back in the good ole days of WWII baby boomers; tobacco was safe. But in modern times aliens from outer space led by Xemu the great have used their superior scientific knowledge to sneak in a cloned hybrid strain of tobacco which makes smokers think that they are immune to the side effects of cancer causing carcinogens. This new tobacco is designed to help the aliens take over the Earth by interbreeding with the obnoxious drunken humans who are sitting around in bars smoking, drinking Lysol and eating chocolate almond candy bars.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Bye 73's

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of those people out there reading this thread that have quit smoking

WAY TO GO you guys - I know how hard it was and still is - I myself smoked for 35 years starting when I was 15 and stopped smoking 6 years ago

The money I saved just after 1 year of not smoking I was able to purchase round trip air fare to STX for my wife and I

I'm not here to preach I just wanted to show positive support to those that have stopped and to those of you wanting to

so here is a hugh congratulations

nothin but luv

Steve

Steve, that was a very nice post.

Thank you!