Smoking in theme parks...What are your thoughts?

[Midgetman82]

Smokers? put 'em on a boat and push it out into open waters. In other words, yeah, I'm all for designated areas. I hate breathing-in secondhand smoke as it gives me headaches. When the spot t smoke is far enough from the crowd and well ventilated (don't cover them with a solid roof), it's a-okay with me.

[thrillrider]

One of the worst smoking areas that I know of is at cedar point, right across from the red garter saloon. I gag every time I walk by. Why would you put a smoking area right on the midway?

[bill_s]

This video explains my complete thoughts on Smoking in the parks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPjst9TKPN0‎

 

I was bored this afternoon, so I took some valuable time out of my nap schedule to watch this video. A quick bit of research doesn't give me hardly any recent reputable source that truly falsifies what has been put out about secondhand by several reputable sources. So I really hope you just caused me to waste my time and posted that video as a joke as it did a wonderful "Blackfish" job of using bits and pieces that lack context to make an argument.

 

Did you watch the same video I did there? While the whole show was longer than necessary, the essential point was the paper that most cite as evidence against smoke was discredited by the court as a politically motivated rewrite contrary to the report it claimed to be based on. Besides, it only takes one drag to make it obvious (cough cough) that the claim that secondhand is just as bad is laughably inaccurate.

 

I find diesel fumes far more nauseating and common, and parks should make sure no buses are allowed to idle upwind of the park.

[eddie200330]

As a smoker, I am fine with designated areas. Hershey seems to do a good job with "out of the way" places as does Kennywood. I never understood why people smoked in queue lines though. That was just disrespectful and rude. In this day of the e-cigs, I think they should have to follow the same rules. As far as enforcing the policy, if security or other employees visibly see it, the person should be made to put it out. If this is in a line, then the person should be asked to leave the line. A few times of this and people might get the idea that parks are serious with their policies. It all comes down to respect and the complete lack thereof that people seem to have nowadays.

[aCoasterStory]

I never understood why people smoked in queue lines though.

 

Because they're so addicted they can't wait however long the line may be between smokes (be it 30, 60, 90 mins or more).

[eddytheviper]

This is going to sound stupid but, smokers and going to smoke. If catered for or not, either way.

so it makes sense for parks to make concessions if it helps to 'protect' other patrons by preventing smoking in lines etc.

 

I think well structured smoking areas and zoned off places can eradicate 90% of the problems that could happen but it takes planning.

 

One place that I find a little strange to have a poorly placed smoking area is the 'round the back' walkway at WDW MK between Space Mountain and Barnstormer.

You pretty much have to walk through the smoking zone on that walkway, slightly odd IMO.

[tribar]

I never understood why people smoked in queue lines though.

 

Because they're so addicted they can't wait however long the line may be between smokes (be it 30, 60, 90 mins or more).

 

People need to have self control. You aren't trapped in the queue line, you can leave anytime you want as long as you return to the end of the line at the end.

[rcjp]

^You're right, but sadly some people just don't care about the rules.

[cal1br3tto]

People keep talking about smoking marijuana in Colorado, but I don't think it's going to be an issue. It's against the law to smoke it in any public area, based on everything I've read.

True. I mean, there could be issues with ignorant people thinking it is legal in public or should be allowed in a park, so the policies might be tweaked to make things more clear. And maybe there will be an uptick in the same kind of illicit use that may happen in parks now. But the parks certainly have no cause to become any more inclusive of it.