It's all about control. Here is a little history on smoking bans:
1575: Mexico: The first recorded passing of legislation prohibiting the use of Tobacco occurs when the Roman Catholic Church passes a law which prohibits smoking in any place of worship throughout the Spanish Colonies
1600s: World-wide Popes ban smoking in holy places and all places of worship. Pope Urban VIII (1623-44) threatens excommunication for those who smoke or take snuff in holy places.
1612: China Royal decree forbids the use and cultivation of tobacco
1617: Mongolia Mongolian Emperor prohibits the use of tobacco. People breaking the law face the death penalty.
1620: Japan bans the use of tobacco
1632: America The first recorded smoking ban in America occurs when Massachusetts introduces a ban on smoking in public places
1633: Turkey Sultan Murad IV bans smoking and as many as 18 people a day are executed for breaking his law.
1634: Russia Czar Alexis bans smoking. Those found guilty of a first offence risk whipping, a slit nose, and exile to Siberia. Those found guilty of a second offence face execution.
1634: Greece The Greek Church bans the use of tobacco claiming tobacco smoke was responsible for intoxicating Noah.
1638: China The use and supply of tobacco is made a crime punishable by decapitation for those convicted
1639: America Governor Kieft of New Amsterdam beats Bloomberg by hundreds of years and bans smoking in New Amsterdam later to become New York.
1640: Bhutan The founder of modern Bhutan, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal introduces that countries first smoking ban outlawing the use of tobacco in government buildings.
1647: America People are only allowed to smoke once a day and public smoking is prohibited in Connecticut
1650: Italy Pope Innocent X's issues a decree against smoking in St Peter's, Rome
1657: Switzerland Smoking prohibition introduced throughout Switzerland
1674: Russia Death penalty introduced for the crime of smoking.
1683: America First laws in America passed prohibiting smoking outdoors in Massachusetts. Philadelphia follows suit introducing fines for offenders.
1693: England First recorded ban in England introduced prohibiting smoking in certain areas of the chambers of parliament
* Smoking bans and prohibitions became rare during the 18th and 19th century. Trade in tobacco became an important source of revenue for monarchs and leaders and tobacco bans were revoked. Even the Pope not to be left out opened a tobacco factory in 1779.
1719: France Smoking is banned with the exception of a number of provinces.
1818: USA Smoking is banned on the streets of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The mayor is fined when he becomes the first man to break the law.
1840: USA Smoking is banned in Boston
1893: USA Washington State introduces legislation banning the sale and consumption of cigarettes
1898: USA Total ban on cigarettes in the state of Tennessee
1900: USA The sale of cigarettes is now outlawed in the states of Washington, Iowa, Tennessee and North Dakota
1904: USA A women is sent to jail for 30 days by a New York judge for smoking in front of her children.
1905: USA Indiana introduces a total cigarette ban
1907: USA Washington passes legislation banning the manufacture, sale, exchange or giving away cigarettes, cigarette paper or wrappers
1914: USA Smoking banned in the US Senate
1922: USA 15 States now have laws banning the sale, manufacture, possession and use of cigarettes
Hitler was a fervent anti smoker and a crusader for the anti-smoking cause. He personally funded research into the dangers of smoking and little wonder those results given the nature of his regime tended to support his assertions that smoking was an evil the Aryan race must be rid of. Many of the studies carried out during the Third Reich are the basis for the arguments put forward today by those seeking the imposition of repressive smoking bans.
Hitler once stated that tobacco was "the wrath of the Red Man against the White Man" Under the Nazi's the Bureau Against the Dangers of Alcohol and Tobacco was established in 1939 followed in 1942 by the Institute for the Struggle against the dangers of Tobacco. Nazi's were the first to coin the term "passive smoking"
Under the Nazi regime the German people had imposed on them the most comprehensive set of tobacco regulations and restrictions seen in any modern nation to that date. Hitler himself took particular interest in this area often personally overseeing the drafting and implementation of anti smoking policy.
Bans And Restrictions in Nazi Germany
* The Luftwaffe banned smoking in 1938.
* The German Post office introduced.it's own ban
* Smoking was barred in many workplaces, government offices, hospitals,and rest homes.
* The NSDAP (National sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) announced a ban on smoking in its offices in 1939
* SS chief Heinrich Himmler announced a smoking ban for all uniformed police and SS officers while on duty in 1939
* Hermann Goering's bans soldiers from smoking on the streets, on marches, and while taking rest periods.
* Sixty of Germany's largest cities banned smoking on street cars in 1941.
* Smoking was banned in air raid shelters. Some provided separate rooms for smokers
* Tobacco coupons were denied to any woman who was pregnant
* Blanket smoking bans were introduced in many cafes, bars and restaurants
* Women below the age of 25 were banned from smoking
* Restaurants and cafes were barred from selling cigarettes to all female customers
* In July 1943 it became illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to smoke in public.
* Smoking was banned on all German city trains and buses in 1944. This initiative coming from Hitler himself,who was worried about exposure of young female conductors to tobacco smoke.
1973: America Arizona becomes the first state in the current wave of smoking bans to pass a comprehensive law restricting smoking in public places.
http://www.sott.net/article/139304-Lets-All-Light-Up
