Just Saying | Passive problem: Like banning idling engines, Hong Kong’s campaign against smoking in public is an embarrassing flop
Nowadays, it looks like it’s become “cool” again to smoke, judging by the number of movies with protagonists lighting up on screen. It’s even gone a step further with tobacco being replaced by marijuana.
I was waiting for a friend outside a shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui recently when a woman stood right next to me and lit up a cigarette. I happened to be downwind as well, and was soon inhaling copious amounts of second hand smoke she was generously blowing my way.
I pointed out to her politely, with a friendly smile, that there was a dustbin for smokers about 10 feet away from us. She replied with a defiant “So? This is a public space.” It was all downhill from there.
As someone who finally succeeded in kicking the habit more than a decade ago, after numerous failed attempts, I have difficulty remaining passive about passive smoking.
In the heat of the moment, I had fleeting visions of snatching that cigarette out of her mouth and extinguishing it in her eye as I tried to control my temper. But she was all smoke and fire and it would have turned into a ghetto fight right there on the street, dignity be damned, if it hadn’t been for her much more reasonable husband or partner, who hastily ushered her away while she continued to give me the evil eye in parting.
Which now brings me to the point: is it just me or is everyone and their mum smoking in the streets and other public places in Hong Kong these days?
The government banned smoking in all indoor public venues back in 2004, providing much-needed relief to staff and non-smoking customers at bars and restaurants. Hong Kong now boasts of a blanket ban across all indoor and outdoor public venues.