I stopped smoking not too long ago and other people's smoke doesn't bother me. I have no problem with someone's right to a smoke-free environment, either, BUT the whole thing is such a farce. If smoking is so bad, why not forbid the sale of tobacco and, like pot, declare it an illegal substance? Could it be that the State wants to look "responsible," while it wants to keep collecting the taxes on that tobacco? I wonder, too, who would scream the loudest, should they be asked to make up for the loss of all that tobacco revenue? After we take care of the smokers, let's go after fat people. Their health problems cost everybody just as much, if not more, than the smokers do. I'm nice and slim. I haven't been to a doctor since 1979, I don't even have aspirin in the house, and yet, my supplemental health insurance premium is through the roof. Could it be due to all the people who end up with diabetes and who knows what else, because they can't stop stuffing their faces? When smokers get lung cancer, more often than not, they're dead and gone in two or three months. Fat people hang around for years and years, huffing and puffing their way from one doctor to the other every week for every imaginable ailment under the sun. Yet, for some reason, nobody has the guts to make these people get rid of the blubber. Why not do like some airlines and fine fat people? X # of $$ for every pound over an acceptable average? Maybe we could equip cops with fat-o-meters in addition to breathalizers and radar guns and kill two or three birds with one stone: This is your fine for speeding, this one's for driving under the influence, and one more for being fat. Depending on the severity, we could dump their butts into combination fat farm-drunk tank-religious retreats. The conditions in the first two would be so stark, they'd get religion and no driver's ed would be needed. I mean, if we're going to make the citizenry healthy, let's take out all the stops. Old age in general seems to have its own rewards, though. When I told a younger friend of mine that lately, I’ve been feeling lethargic, listless and apathetic and that I get dizzy when I stand up too fast, she wanted to know, exactly, at what age she could expect for all of that to start, because as of now, she has to smoke two joints to feel like that. Hahahaha

Israel is incredibly primitive in its attitude to smoke and smokers, reminds me of England in the 70s. However, dealing with the problem is only a tiny part of this, we need public health education to deal with the cause. Simply put, people still think it's cool to smoke when it's not.

Here we go again. Look, if you want to reduce the habit of smoking among the population, increase taxes on cigarettes and communicate the "possible" consequences of smoking. However, this police thing of fining people, that's for the birds. Smoking is not illegal (at least not yet), therefore people who smokes should not be treate like second class / almost criminal citizens. And don't give me the crap of second hand smoking. The bus or the car that passes next to you harms you one hundred more times than a tiny little cigarette. So thsi all comes down to one word. FREEDOM.

The fines collected at Rambam alone would solve the union wage problems.

Voting a law is easy , enforcing this is more difficult . When the first law was introduced some years ago , in six months time , a security guard at Arad's mall told me , he did'nt see anybody to control the application of this law . And today ? who looks at the many smokers in the Dizzengoff center in Tel Aviv ? or in the many other places ? Nobody . The only mall i know where there are no smokers , is the great mall in my town .

This country has survived until now under the pretext that its not a western country. The more the people are babied the worse it will become, with more draft dodgers, more smoking and more traffic accidents. By modernizing Israel the people are becoming weak and lazy, less joining the army and there is less connection to the country in General. There is a problem with accidents on the road but instead of fighting it they decide to punish bikers by making a law saying they must wear helmets at all times. Maybe pedestrians should have to also they are in danger when near cars aswell. Smoking is that same. I am a smoker but agree with non-smoking laws, but there are much bigger problems such as our attack and defense capabilities and increasing moral in this country not attacking everything good that is still around.

Even if you are right about the government wanting to just collect the taxes on tobacco, you also have to ask yourself if it's possible in Israel to outlaw tobacco. The answer is no - with so many smokers, the population wouldn't allow it. They tried outlawing alcohol in the US many years ago and it just led to an astronomical 'crime rate' on which more resources and money were spent than anything else. Therefore, outlawing smoking in general is not an option.

if you increase the taxes on cigarettes , this will not change very much. The poorer will maybe reduce their number of cigarettes , but most people not . The only way to reduce the second hand smoking , it's proven , not crap as you write , is to eliminate this habit in public places . This is also done in some west European countries . You are right , smoke from cars and buses have also a bad effect on our health , this has also to diminue . If you wo'nt give heavy fines , people will continue to transgress the law . FREEDOM , you say , you are also right , it's my FREEDOM not to be poisoned by your smoke . You want to smoke ? please , do it at home , in your car . There only your family will suffer .

Have you seen proffessional riders ? Look at the "tour de France" , all of them wear helmets ! and that's the same in every cycling competition . They are riding faster ? yes , but they have a much better control of their byke than our children .

Smoking in public places is outlawed in some European countries . and apparently without problems . You can't compare this to the anti alcohol laws in the USA , in the 20's of last century . There was a total ban on alcohol , not only in public places .

You are nice and slim, very well! Never heard of metabolic disease ? Fat people will suffer and you mock them. Get a life.

Well you have the right to breath your "clean air", fine, but I have the right to smoke a cigartte if I want to because it is not illegal. Granted, I think that smoking in public places is not cool, but every private business should have the right to allow people who want to smoke or not, or at least they should offer the separate environments (rooms, outdoors, you name it). But to fine people for doing something legal, that is wrong, plain wrong. Other solution, make illegal teh sale and consumption of cigarttes (let s see how it goes). That is why I think that increaing taxes on cigarttes and better education for the children are the best solutions, if you want this, pay. And with that money the state can create a fund for whatever they want. And on the second hand smoking, that is debatable, people who have never smoked can get lung cancer as well, and a lot of people who smoke lots of cigarettes during their life never get lung cancer. You want to get serios about health, dicrease the smoke of cars and buses, heavy tax as well Junk food, alcoholic beverages, etc. And also offer incentives for things that actually help, clean sources of energy, healthy foof, exercise and stuff like. Ultimately, it all comes down to Freedom and choice.

Did I touch a nerve?? Well, get off it. Most people are obese, because they eat too much. If I ate like I wanted to, I'd weigh 300 lbs in a year. Would that mean that I suffer from a metabolic disease? NOT. I would mean that I stuffed my face. As for your reference to "oven," now that is truly stupid. Btw, I'm not a guy, and I have a pretty good life, thank you.

smoke in your apartment or anywhere in the apartment building, you get evicted. there is a long waiting list to move in here. it's the most healthy place in town and the nicest.

you are missing the point. this is not a bill aimed at reducing smoking in general. why should they reduce smoking? all of the tabacco is imported and the government collects a nice duty on it. also, so long as smokers don't smoke near other people, their smoking does no harm to non-smokers (unlike drugs, where people become incapacitated when high). this bill is merely trying to protect non-smokers from having to inhale smoke. inhaling smoke is disgusting to non-smokers and IS harmful to their health. the consequences of inhaling smoke have been scientifically proven. this bill is not restricting or freedom to choose whether or not you smoke. it is only restricting you from being able to make the choice for others. you can't view this as smokers being treated as second-class citizens. it is simply a rediculous argument. are drinkers treated like second class citizens because it is illegal to drink in public?! these laws create a better environment for the rest of us.

PA rockets in your schoolyards, Tabernacles and bedrooms but (in it's infinite wisdom) the Knesset takes on cigarette SMOKING? That's Israel! What's better after a good rocket barrage than a Marlboro and a Miller Pony?

This is fascistic , punitive, and in light of all of the daily causes of death in Israel this is ludicrous.Well, let's see how this helps tourism and aliyah. The punishments are discriminatory, anti-business, and a money grabbing tax. The fines will probably go into Olmert's pocket and those of his cronies. What will happen after a battle when a soldier returns from war? Better watch out, he may be fined and told smoking can kill him. The thinking this evidences and the punishments passed in this law are truly frightening.But, keep on releasing those terrorists, who killed children and Ministers, bombed restaurants, and buses, to kill you again. Can prisoners smoke in addition to holding meetings on terrorist targets, etc.? I bet Sderot will have attention, now, by the military. They have to collect the fines for smoking to relieve the fear and knowledge of their country's betrayal in refusing to secure there area. THAT CAN KILL THEM FASTER THAN SMOKING. Will Israel EVER get it together, or doesn't it care at all about the one million Jewish children living there?

Doesn't this Erdan , or anyone in the Knesset know the history of how the Nazis and the Soviets installed distrust among the population , reaching into the familial structure? Is all of Israel now charged with ratting people out ? This will turn businesses against businesses, children against children, or if the population is smart, since there is no reward for ratting, it will refuse to go in accordance with this law. Who paid these crooks called Israeli lawmakers?They do more to endanger the lives in Israel by their refusal to protect and defend it than any number of smokers ever could. But, it seems, the American taxpayer is supposed to keep on paying for a country that refuses to stand up for itself, nor are the people willing to insist on the protection. It is impossible to support this, and I am a Jew.

Your freedom [ to smoke ] ends where my freedom [ not to be poisoned ] begins . The second hand smoking is not debatable , it's proven . Yes there are smokers without lung cancer , and not smokers who have it . But the number of lung cancers by smokers is much higher than by no smokers . Smoking is not illegal , in public places it is . In malls smoking is forbidden already today . But in most it's done . I'm free to sit in a place to have a meal , without to be intoxicated by your smoke . If your free choice is to smoke , do it , but without risks for me .

Now there is no excuse for municipalities not to enforce the law! The Karmiel shopping malls are a good example. The municipality maintains they cannot send an inspector every day but there are ALWAYS a number of inspectors handing our parking tickets! The other day I asked someone not to smoke in the Akko train station and he even threatened to assault me. The security guards did intervene but told me that enforcing the Non Smoking law IN the station was not their job. So they will protect your from being blown to bits but not from being killed by poisonous cigarette smoke! To those who say that fines are not good but raising the tax on cigarettes will solve the problem, they do not understand the Israeli smoker. Bear in mind folks, I was a smoker of 60 a day and I stopped 25 years ago. My late wife did not and she died of lung cancer nearly two years ago. I you need a reason to stop smoking then please go to your nearest hospital ICU and have a good look at those who are waiting to die from this terrible disease! No, I am not a hero because I stopped. I am a victim as I lost my partner of 35 years!

It's not because there are bombs who kill people , that anti suicide laws must not be voted at the knesseth . Do'nt you think that people will go more to shopping malls when they have'nt to be poisoned by smoke ? I'm sure that tourist will also appreciate it . Do'nt forget that many European countries have already such laws [ Great Britain , Ireland , Belgium and so ] Now let me tell you that in the smoke free malls there are places , little ones , where smokers can intoxicate themselve and their alikes .

I can only speak of the State of Georgia, but you cannot smoke in any public facility. Additionally, one may not smoke in restaurants, unless there is a completely separate section with separate entrance, or nobody under 18 is permitted on the premises. Lighting up in a bus, train, mall or any other store simply isn't done. There'd be a riot. Come to think of it, it's easier to list the places where smoking is allowed: one's own home, car and in the great outdoors aka parking lots of any mall/store. Hospitals have gone so far as to forbid smoking anywhere on their premises, even outside. If a bar owner allows smoking, it only takes one 'phone call, his license gets jerked, and he's out of business; not for a day or two, but forever. Some hotels/motels have rooms in which smoking is allowed.....if not somewhere on the top floor, in the vicinity of the attic, right below the rafters, then in the back, overlooking rows of garbage bins. No ocean-view for smokers, either :-). Although there were a few lawsuits and a lot of grumbling and griping at the start, it is now accepted practice as if it had been like that since the Garden of Eden.

The topic is smoking where it is forbidden. Stay on point.

by telling the truth about it. Yes, we in the US are European in our busybody legislators who, to take advantage of anti-smoking pressure groups and to rake in nice fines and taxes, have waged war on smokers. Me, I rarely smoke, but I make sure that everyone knows that sometimes I DO. P.S.: I don't know where in Europe you've traveled, but the Euros generally smoke everywhere, especially next to "No Smoking" signs.

I do'nt know where you traveled in Europe , i lived there for many , many years . Well in places where smoking is forbidden , people mostly do not smoke . There are of course some who do it , but a look or a word is enough to make them throw their cigarette away . It's not only because of pressure groups , it's proven that second hand smoking is also dangereous . Not to talk about the trash that thrown cigarettes leave .

I was born and reared in Germany and lived in Paris for a year. Yeah, tell me about them. They, especially the French, might puff those Gauloises next to non smoking signs, but in Germany, you have to have a PhD to figure out which part of your garbage goes where, and heaven help you, if you should put a clear, plastic bottle in the same bag with a colored one, glass with plastic or degradable anything with either. ( I assume those degradables were my cooking.) If they catch you, the whole city refuse collection department goes into high gear. When I was over there in '98, my sister made the mistake and left me at home alone with the garbage. What the hell did I know from that other can over there, the bottle bags in the garage, the old bread basket on top of the cabinet, etc. etc. If it was garbage, it went into that big can under the sink.The first time I put the trash out, here came the garbage police. I kid you not! When I played dumb and only remembered English, they sent a guy who spoke English of some sort. He brought me whole stacks of brochures on the fine art of garbage separation. When he looked like he expected me to redistribute that trash, I finally lost it and told him in perfect local dialect that he can pick apart that nasty stuff himself, because I wasn't going to do it. Probably more pissed at my speaking German, while he had struggled with English, my sister got slapped with a big, fat fine. ( I wanted to click my heels, salute and yell, "Jawohl, mein Fuehrer," but did think better of that one.) Unlike me, my sister is well-off, and the laugh she got out of my trash adventure was worth the fine. She was only sorry that she missed the conversation. They have, however, been keeping a close eye on her trash bags ever since :-)

was just to get away from being around smokers.i'm sure the shortness of breath and allergies i suffer from now can be partially attributed to the smokers that although they kept on dying off all around me never seemed to lack a replacement.the heaviest smokers like my dad was end up with a heart attack and sometimes quadruple heart bypass operations and die anyway shortly after.if everyone that wanted to smoke just did it with a plastic bag over their heads so they got it all instead sharing it with me-i'd be happy.