Ban on smoking while walking

By Park Moo-jong

Every New Year's Day, many people make various resolutions to do or not do something, mostly for their better health.

On top of the self-promises is quitting smoking. But their ardent determination usually ends in three days, mostly.

It is common sense today that lighting up is a deadly habit, causing "100 harmful effects and not a single good thing," doing more harm than good.

The latest World Health Organization report proves this: "Tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke."

Around 1.1 billion people, 800 million of whom are men, smoke cigarettes every day across the world, meaning one in six to seven puff tobacco, the sole legal drug that kills many of its users.

There is no way smokers do not know the risk. But the reality is the very broken New Year resolution. It's no wonder that they are totally responsible for the health threats. Then, how about non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke?

The world is getting smaller for smokers. They are not allowed to light up in restaurants, public places and even near the streets within 10 meters of subway station exits.

They have to light up at specially designated smoking zones, such as booths at airports that look like prison cells. But they are still free to smoke outdoors, except locations with signs designating a no-smoking zone.

Thus, the best place they can puff is on the street where they can smoke while walking. Walking smokers have appeared to be a new public nuisance, like "smombies" (smartphone zombies) who walk slowly without paying attention to other pedestrians because they are looking at their smartphones with their heads bowed.

Walking with a lit cigarette and puffing on it is not just a nuisance but very unhealthy for non-smoking passers-by who have to smell the second-hand smoke.

Worse is their signature tendency to flick the ash from their cigarettes indiscriminately and, more often than not, they throw their cigarette butts, even still burning, onto street flower beds, curbs and ventilation ducts of subway shafts as they walk.

It is a common sight on sidewalks in the morning these days to see street cleaners busy collecting the butts.

As a non-smoker, to be more precisely one who quit smoking 30 years ago, I hate smelling smoke exhaled by street smokers, even expressing my deep displeasure to them frankly.

Many citizens, particularly women and children, complain about walking behind smokers and inhaling the tobacco fumes.

The challenge of smokers is also serious. Many of them argue that smoking is not illegal and they have every right to light up. They question where the cigarette tax money is going, citing the lack of smoking booths.

Recently, Seoul City Hall held a town hall meeting of citizens where they proposed five policies, one of which was the "ban on smoking while walking," and put them to a vote.

Of the 14,000 voters, 88 percent voted for the ban, and the city administration is considering adopting it by revising the city "ordinance to prevent harm from second-hand smoking" that will create no-smoking zones on sidewalks. The final decision is expected to come in 100 days, according to city officials.

However, I have the feeling that it is too late. Japan is an outstanding leader in banning walking and smoking. Fifteen years ago, Chiyoda-ku (district) of Tokyo became the first local government in Japan to ban smoking while walking on busy streets.

An envisioned ban on smoking while walking also may contribute to finding jobs for retired seniors who will walk around and scold smokers for smoking while walking on sidewalks.

In fact, it is not that easy for habitual smokers to overcome their addiction overnight. But in my experience, it is not "difficult" at all. Proudly declare your determination to quit smoking before your wife, children, friends and co-workers right now. I mean it. You will earn many things. Your family, especially your wife, will be very happy.

Smoking is not illegal. You have the right to light up. But you do not have the right to smoke before non-smokers, either. Do not pollute the air others breathe anymore. TV shows today have good reason to cut scenes of smoking in dramas.

You ought to hate being questioned by others: "Do you still smoke?"

Why don't you kick the fatal habit before you have to wander the streets or elsewhere in the scorching hot or freezing cold to find "legal" places to light up due to the widening of no-smoking zones?

Heavy fines, such as those for drinking and driving, could be a fine tool to make walking and smoking disappear from the streets.

Do trust Mark Twain (1835-1910) who claimed: "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times"

Park Moo-jong is the senior Korea Times adviser. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after he worked as a reporter of the daily since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@ktimes.com or emjei29@gmail.com