Letter: Anti-social smokers need to be stubbed out in UAE

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Letter: Anti-social smokers need to be stubbed out in UAE I would like to get the discussion started on one of the major issues plaguing the health of the residents of UAE. While the UAE remains one of the cleanest and health conscious countries in the world, there is a growing trend of irresponsible smoking. The laws prohibit smoking in public places and in parks/gardens where there are kids. I have seen law enforcement officials take a strong yet polite approach to rebuff smokers in such areas. However, not a day goes by when I have not seen people smoke in beaches, bus stations, malls, parks and street corners. The worst part is when they are indifferent to the difficulty they are causing to non smokers around them. I have tried several times to politely request that they smoke in designated smoking areas or areas away from general public; you can imagine how that went. But I would like to bring two incidents which I witnessed to the attention of the readers. In the marina walk area, I noticed a mother holding an infant and smoking a cigarette with her other hand. What’s worse was that she had no hesitation in puffing the smoke towards the child who was sleeping. The second incident was when a kid who was definitely not 18 was smoking with kids who were even younger. Upon politely trying to convey the negative impact of smoking, they pointed out that every single one of their family members and friends smoke. It shows a deep flaw in the values when people don’t have a problem in causing harm to others. I am not saying all smokers are bad. But it is those that feel they have all the rights to puff smoke in the face of others standing around them that concern me. Concerned Dubai Read the original story at: Letter: Anti-social smokers need to be stubbed out in UAE