Most smokers not the enemy

IMAGINE if I walked up to you and spat in your face. You’d likely react in anger and disgust, and perhaps with violence. After all, nobody wants saliva on their face even if it’s not very harmful. It’s not as if by spitting on you, you end up dying earlier and in great pain.

Yet, we are far more nonchalant about secondhand smoke that can lead to cancer, heart disease, difficulty breathing and stroke. In fact, when someone smokes or vapes in open spaces, it is usually the non-user who ends up having to politely ask the user to move away. It is akin to gathering up the courage to tell someone to “please stop spitting in my face”.