ban smoking in historical sites
Do you know what’s on every pristine beach in the world, on the street of every city, on the floor of every centuries-old world history site and in the stomachs of birds, turtles, etc.? Cigarette butts — or, more accurately, cigarette filters, which are made of cellulose acetate, not cotton and, as such, they do not disintegrate.
Cigarette Butts: Collectively a Weapon of Mass Destruction
Groups such as the World Health Organization estimate that several trillion cigarette butts are thrown down worldwide every year; they are the most littered item in the world.
Filters collect the toxic chemicals released when the cigarette is smoked. Rains wash filters into our water sources where they leach for the rest of the world to “enjoy.” The nicotine trapped inside 200 used filters is sufficient to kill an adult human. (Cancer is on the rise. Is there a correlation?) Poison in our waterways is a deadly price to pay for the selfish habit of smoking.
In addition to ruining the most picturesque settings, littered butts start numerous fires every year around the world — fires that destroy people, animals, homes, and forests. And, more people than ever are dying of smoking-related causes, and for the first time, smoking deaths in developing countries equal those seen in the industrialized world.
There were nearly 5 million smoking deaths in the year 2000, with the majority -- roughly one third -- due to heart disease and stroke. Lung cancer killed 850,000 smokers, and 1 million more died of other lung diseases. While chosing to smoke is your right, it goes beyond the smoker in that 3,400 lung cancer deaths relate to second hand smoke each year and 46,000 deaths related to second hand smoke through heart disease. No one should be that severely affected by the poor health decisions of others.
November 2008
Of course, I'm still on my non-smoker band wagon. I do not understand cigarette smokers. We have travelled the world through historical sites filled with ages-old artifacts and treasures. . . and cigarette butts. WHAT is the matter with these people? These world treasures took years to unearth and resurrect at great expense. Why do caretakers of valuable historical sites put up with half-smoked cigarettes dropped all around?
During a mid-way stop to Chichen Itza, we talked with a lovely family from Guyana (yes, former territory of Jim Jones and The People's Temple). This family was sophisticated, well-dressed, obviously well-travelled, had beautiful daughters, and they all smoked. At this particular stop (photograph to the right), ashtrays were placed around the courtyard. What did these lovely people do? Dropped their butts on the ground enroute to the bus. Worse, the father of the group dropped is still-lit but into a live plant. 
Where does the total disregard for all life begin and end? How does anyone manage to stay oblivious to the dangers of cigarettes to self, family, friends and our planet? I took the butt out of the plant and stuffed it out on the ground so the plant would not suffer. Does anyone remember the Russian book "The Secret Life of Plants?" I could not bear to think of the plant dealing with that burning heat at its base. What about levying serious cigarette taxes (perhaps $5 per pack) to offset:
1) medical expenses for children, and/or anyone else in the home, who have illnesses relating to their parents' smoking;
2) cleanup of all heritage sites, all beaches, all walkways . . . some of this is being done now, but it is being done by tax dollars. There is no reason on earth for taxpayers to pay for the sloppy habits of smokers;
3) Support materials and legislation to ban smoking at all historical sites, national parks, regional parks.
4) Cite people who hang their cigarattes out the window as they drive through dry-grass areas along freeways and country roads. This does start fires . . . we know this, we have seen this. Why is this allowed to continue?
On a practical note, according to Forbes OnLine:
In Depth: What You'll Save By Quitting Smoking
Smokers in most states stand to save between $200 and $500. Examples: Delaware ($998.23); Florida ($276.04); Alaska ($441.72); Maine ($439.92); Mississippi ($321.46); Illinois ($298.66).
Forbes.com found data on the price of cigarettes and frequency of smoking for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and found that in most states, quitting smoking would save more than $300 per year just on the cost of cigarettes, and in some states, far more than that. Those savings don't include the myriad other costs nonsmokers are spared: steep dry-cleaning bills, big health care costs (due to long-term health issues, including heart problems), and higher life insurance premiums among them. (Delware, which sells the most cigarettes per capital out of any state, also spends $284 million on smoking-related health costs per year; smoking-caused productivity losses cost the state $304 million each year. This, of course, gets back to my question: Why should taxpayers be underwriting the costs of cleaning up after smokers and/or the health issues?). This is especially important today. With scores of Americans being forced to tighten their belts, smoking is a quick way to fatten the wallet. What's more, state cigarette taxes could be on the rise. If history offers any lessons, we may see an even steeper cost of smoking soon—and more of a reason to quit—since state governments often turn to these tax hikes when economic times are tough.
Reading departure signs in some big airport