"Smoking gun"? Smoke-filled room? It's the same thing.

(WARNING: Controversial article)

 It is said that finding the "smoking gun" is 'indisputable evidence of a crime'.

   Months ago, I invited a friend to have coffee with me at a Cappuccino Affair in Edmonton, Alberta. I arrived early and anticipated a relaxing evening by the fireplace, sipping my favorite, Café Rollo, and chatting with my friend.
   When I opened the door and entered the small, usually cozy room, I was appalled to find that the smoking section, found upstairs, had invaded half of the lower floor. A group of teens lingered near the doorway, puffing away on their cancer sticks. A table to the left was occupied by five more teens that were busy inhaling and barking like ninety-year-olds. The non-smoking section had been assimilated--consumed by teens that appeared barely out of Junior High School.
   Confronting one of the servers, I was told that when the smoking section was full, the management gave up half of the non-smoking section to the smokers. A three-foot wide floor mat separated the room. The left side of the room was for smokers, while the right side was for non-smokers.
   My reply: "Does the cigarette smoke know to stay on that side of the room?" 
   For some strange reason, the girl did not have an answer for me. A minute later, she urged me closer and confided that she thought the owners' rule was "stupid". She told me that she would be quite happy if they banned smoking altogether, and that she hated working in a toxic environment but that it was the only job she had been offered.
   I waited for my friend amidst the smoke and stink for about five minutes, but then I couldn't stand it any longer. By the time I hit the cool, fresh air outside, my clothes and hair reeked of smoke. When my friend finally arrived, I told her we were going somewhere else. I had often frequented that particular Cappuccino Affair; I haven't been back since.
   I can't help but think about the kids that were there, especially the ones that were so obviously underage. Each of them was some mother's baby. Their mothers protected them for nine months and endured extreme pain to bring them into this world, alive and healthy. And there they sit, pouring poison into their lungs, and slowly committing suicide. Each of those teens should spend a month with a cancer patient and see what cancer strips from a life. Or they should spend a month with a child with asthma, and watch in terror as that child struggles for each desperate breath. Then they should spend a day with a mother whose baby has died. Perhaps then our youth would truly value the gift of their lives.
   When is Edmonton going to finally take a stand on this issue? Public places should be free from all poisons. New York has banned smoking in ALL PUBLIC PLACES. Many cities across Canada have tougher bans on smoking than we do. Why is Edmonton procrastinating about protecting our health and our children? 
   "Smoking gun"?  Smoke-filled room?  It's the same thing. 
   Bottom line: It's a damned crime!

©2004 Cheryl Kaye Tardif