Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the largest mental-health facility in the country, has backtracked on a plan to ban smoking from its grounds.That's right. It matters not a jot to Canadian care administrators if their self-righteous ban is in the best interests of their smoker patients. Even when concerns are expressed by their own staff as to the wellbeing of those they are employed to protect.
“It’s not a change that was made for clinical reasons,” said Susan Pigott, vice-president of communications and community engagement at CAMH.
While smoking has come under increasing restrictions elsewhere in recent years, the mental-health community has been reluctant to act because of the pervasive view that patients already struggling with mental illness shouldn’t be forced to endure the stress of giving up a habit that many say helps to calm them.
That means that when mental-health centres such as CAMH move to ban smoking, they are likely to be met with resistance from patients – and perhaps even staff concerned about the effect on the psychological state of those in their care.
But those concerns aren’t what prompted CAMH to retreat from its proposal to ban smoking entirely.
Rather, Ms. Pigott said the policy was changed after businesses and residents near the centre’s three main Toronto sites spoke out about having patients smoke in front of their stores or on their lawns.
But once real people - you know, those who don't enjoy tobacco - protest at having to look at a smoker or two, heaven and earth must be moved to accommodate them.
In other news, shares in 'Yellow Badge Manufacturing Inc.' made great gains this week.
9 comments:
Agreeing with TBY, and appreciating the column. It IS sad, isn't it? It's like Obama saying he didn't raise any taxes on PEOPLE right after he hit smokwers with a 150% increase or a 2,000% RYO increase.
:/
Michael
Well Michael, smokers are NOT people, according to some, espacially like Obamah who is an occassional smoker who, somehow, has been convinced that he is the antichrist if he does not a) give up smoking and b) hammer anyone that does!
Now I had always assumed that our 'voted in' politicians had some 'nouse', some idea of how the 'hood' operated? They do not have a F****** clue. It falls on us from the 'hood' to educate the bastards!
So when it comes to national policy with governments they 1) are listening to local politicians that do not have a clue about their 'hood' and don't want to, their careers are all important and 2) use vested interests to bolster their arguments, (money talks.)
When one certain American politican said, "Watch my lips, no new taxes!" The present incumbant says "Watch my lips, no new taxes except for you that do NOT follow the path of righteousness!"
I am a sinner, help me! Yeah right Oba, give us a break!
Even here in Europe Obamah, we know when people speak in forked tongues!
I too totally agree with TBY. This is so damn right. I am a smoker myself and i would never want to be alone or kept like that. I am also a human being and my wife is also making efforts with me with all her love to make me quit smoking and i must tell that now i smoke just 2-3 cigarettes instead of mine old 10-12 per day.
@D.Addiction For one I do not believe I am addicted to tobacco, and I have given this many a thought since the ban came in in the UK in 07 (and many a time before that.) I smoke way more than the wife, I, for instance, smoke rollups, with tips, around twenty a day and Mrs. Yin buys (or I buy) ten per day of 'tailor made' cigs for her.
I do believe however that smoking is a habit, a habit that is just as much of an 'addiction' as drinking coffee, fitness training and jogging, ( I know a man that gave up drinking and smoking just to be a jogging 'junkie') he is a much happier man for this and I wish him well.
I guess what I am trying to say is that you will never give up anything if you rely on someone else to tell you to do so. Everything anyone does should be done by themselves and that will, without prejudice, seep through.
You find happiness where you can, legally or illegally...it's your choice.
Freedom of Choice is paramount but there is no accounting for taste.
Prohibition of a legal product is a blow to the heart of Democracy
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I am a real advocate of these bans. I think they do great things for our country. (I am sure you can tell that I am a non smoker!)
Sally, the fact that you are a non smoker and the smoking ban suits you is laudable. A lot of laws suit me but I must try and put down a decent arguement for or against them. I am at great pains to see what you see and think, ie. "I think they [smoking bans] do great things for our country."
What great things do you refer, pubs closing at an unprecedented rate? The criminalisation of smoking a legal product in a convivial atmosphere in the warmth of a pub, club or bingo hall?
Or are you an anti smoker who believes that smokers should be stigmatised, denormalised, and demonised as the worst kind of evil that stalks this earth?
Do you dislike smoking because it is the purveyor of all the illnesses that god put on this earth? Or...I could go on and on.
And I must ask, is the act of compromise too much to a non smoker? If so then, I'm afraid, I must treat you as an anti smoker.
Please do not speak in homilies.
Look forward to you commenting again on this blog.
"I am a real advocate of these bans. I think they do great things for our country."
Like dehumanisation of those with mental illnesses, you mean?
Way to go, USA. Why not just shoot them and have done with it, eh?
WTF!! they dont know what they're doing. . .hope they enjoy seeing us dying:)
by:smokers
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