Smokers Are Litterers, Too!

There are a few things in this world that really, really bug me. People who don't use their turn signals. The people who can't walk the extra two feet to return the shopping cart so they leave it in the middle of a perfectly good parking space. The older, "experienced" women who have to ask me how I'm feeling at the end of a pregnancy, then reply to my "I'm not so great right now" answer with "Just you wait!" And smokers.

Smoking in general just plain bugs me. If you are a smoker, I'm sorry, but it is a gross and disgusting habit. I used to date a smoker, and it honestly was like licking the bottom of an ash tray every time I kissed him. I don't know why I put up with it. Smokers smell horrible, and I won't even go into the health risks. We all know them.

The thing about smokers that really bugs me, though, it that smokers are litterers. If you are in a park, quite often you will see "No littering" signs posted everywhere. They even have posted on the sign how much the fine is if you are littering. The sides of roads and highways are the same. I like that in Canada you can drive along the highway and every so often there are trash bins to keep people from littering from their cars. Canada is very clean. But I am getting off-track and out of the country.

When a smoker is done polluting the air around him/her and destroying their lungs, they then throw the butt on the ground and stamp it out. Fine. Then they walk away.

Not so fine.

Those horrible little butts are everywhere! On sidewalks, in the park, outside mall entrances, etc. When you are in the park, you do not want your child picking up someone's cigarette butt and bringing it to you! That is just plain gross!

Why is it that I could possibly get fined if a paper napkin fell out of my stroller and blew away, but smokers can leave traces of their disgusting habit all over the place?

I hate driving behind a smoker because the smoke will filter into my car. That's bad enough. How many times have I been driving along and the driver in the car just a little ahead of me will flick their cigarette butt out the window and it hits my car? Why are they allowed to throw them out of the car in the first place?

I don't care about smokers' rights. I don't believe that if you are going to engage in some activity that you should force everyone around you to engage in it also. When you smoke, you are forcing me to have to smell it, breathe it in, and deal with your litter.

Do everyone (and most importantly, yourself!) a favor and QUIT smoking. Do whatever you have to do, but just plain quit! And if you aren't going to, could you at least not smoke around me and defintely not throw your butts around??