Curious about tobacco use "culture" in other states and countries

[Ginevra]

This was interesting to me, because I was not that far from home, yet the public smoking culture was so different even DS12 noticed it. My son and I travelled to Virginia to attend a Harry Potter event there. The first big surprise was as we were walking around the town, going into the shops to collect our HP trading cards, we walked into one store packed with people and only then noticed it was a Cigar and smoke shop (Beverly Cigar Store, I think). I'm honestly quite flabbergasted that a smoke shop with people actively smoking in it was one of the planned shops for collecting trading cards, which is obviously largely a children's activity. We quickly exited without collecting that card.

 

But in general, there was also just much more public smoking than I am accustomed to seeing; it was so noticeable that DS12 mentioned it several times. Where we live, smoking tobacco products is very largely kept on the down-low and smoking is banned from the great majority of public places. It's also just culturally sort of shunned and I can't remember the last time I saw anyone around here willing to smoke around children. I think the idea of having people smoking in a shop where children were collecting trading cards from a fantasy series would never fly here. Either that shop would be not part of the tour or no tobacco products would be used during the event. But I guess it is different because VA has different public smoking laws (or doesn't have any?).

 

What is the tobacco-use culture where you live (and generally, where is that if you can share)?

[Twolittleboys]

I remember quite a number of years ago when visiting North Carolina I was quite surprised to see the different attitude towards smoking compared to other places in the US (as in ashtrays in fast food restaurants). I suppose it is because tobacco is/was the livelihood of quite a number of people in the area.

 

[SKL]

No smoking inside public establishments here.  Of those who do smoke, most keep it private or even secret.  But there are some who don't seem to care who sees it.

 

The other day my kids & I were walking from Chipotle to the car and we had to walk through some smokers' fumes.  My kids were annoyed, which tells you how different things are from when I was a kid, when we wouldn't even notice such things.  I told my kids how when I was young, people used to do that indoors all the time too, so it's a lot better now.  Then I thought, maybe I offended the smokers who were there; but on second thought, tough toodles.  If I have to accept their noxious behavior, they have to accept mine.

[Closeacademy]

It's a frowned upon behavior in the city where I live. All restaurants, public places and parks are non-smoking. 

[Laura Corin]

Quite a lot of vaping. The odd smoking huddle as described by Sadie. No smoking in public buildings, pubs, bars, restaurants, places of work. UK.

[Arctic Bunny]

Canada - prairies

 

In addition to no smoking in public indoor spaces:

 

No smoking and vaping on outdoor seating areas of restaurants, bars

 

No smoking and vaping on all City-owned or controlled land. This includes City-owned facilities like playgrounds, spray pads, swimming pools, skating rinks, skate parks, dog parks, exercise facilities, track facilities, outdoor stadiums and sports facilities, hard surface courts and athletic fields. It also includes parks and open spaces, multi-use pathways, golf courses within City limits and plazas. It does not include roads, sidewalks, parking lots and open air parkades.

 

No smoking and vaping within a 10 metre buffer zone of entrances, windows and air exchanges of public buildings

[Twolittleboys]

This is pretty embarrassing but I get out so little I have no clue how many smoke or not (unless they are hanging around outside which really only teenagers do). Pretty sure restaurants etc. are smoke-free. We went to some beer gardens this summer and my ds complained about the smoke (I grew up in a household with smokers so don't notice as much). Based on some remarks of my son, quite a number of teenagers do smoke (not sure whether regularly or just tried it).

[G5052]

I noticed the same thing in other parts of the mid-Atlantic and South.

 

Where I grew up in the Southwest and where relatives lived in California, you rarely saw people smoking. When I was in graduate school and working, I only knew one person who smoked among those I had frequent contact with.

[Pen]

Oregon.

 

Increased tobacco smoking from what I saw a few years ago, it looks like. Looks like a returning fad/addiction amongst younger adults and teens.  Though less than in tobacco growing states like NC and Virginia. And laws limit it indoors in many places.

 

Lots of marijuana use in public since that was legalized.  

 

People at bus stops often appear to be smoking something or using electronic smoking devices. Same for people in vehicles, walking along, even some bike riders  seem to have a cigarette in hand.  It isn't allowed inside grocery stores, but off to the side or in alley behind, employees on break will be smoking. Lots and lots of people smoking in front of public library.  Etc.

[Audrey]

Western Canada -- no public smoking (anywhere).  You used to see a smokers huddle outside offices, but I don't see those anymore much either.  Vaping is supposedly on the rise, but I've yet to see anyone vaping except at a couple of outdoor summer festivals, and even then it was a couple or a handful of millenials only. 

[Audrey]

Canada - prairies

 

In addition to no smoking in public indoor spaces:

 

No smoking and vaping on outdoor seating areas of restaurants, bars

 

No smoking and vaping on all City-owned or controlled land. This includes City-owned facilities like playgrounds, spray pads, swimming pools, skating rinks, skate parks, dog parks, exercise facilities, track facilities, outdoor stadiums and sports facilities, hard surface courts and athletic fields. It also includes parks and open spaces, multi-use pathways, golf courses within City limits and plazas. It does not include roads, sidewalks, parking lots and open air parkades.

 

No smoking and vaping within a 10 metre buffer zone of entrances, windows and air exchanges of public buildings

 

I should have read replies first as this post explains it much better.  Same here in my province. 

[MEmama]

In my area: smoking is very frowned upon and very rare. There is no smoking indoors anywhere and because we have such an outdoorsy culture it's really unwelcome anywhere public.

 

It's interesting to me to read in western Canada it's so unusual. When we moved to eastern Canada from a big city in the US Midwest, smoking was one of the first things my then 5 yo son commented on. It was everywhere, persistent and heavy and unavoidable. He still comments on it, so the commonness clearly made a huge impression (and because the smell made him so nauseous I'll never have to worry about him taking it up! )

 

Idk why I'm surprised it might be so different in various provinces, since obviously Canada is as big and diverse as the US. Geographical differences are huge wherever we live, of course.

Edited September 24, 2017 by MEmama

[Heatherwith4]

I live in North Alabama, and I don’t see very many people smoking. I notice when we vacation in East TN that we see it a little more.

[wonderchica]

VA/NC here. I know several smokers, and lots of acquaintances who smoke around their children. It's less common than when I grew up though. I see people vaping regularly, along with vape shops/cigar shops etc. Smoking isn't allowed in restaurants, schools, etc. Parks, sure. Don't go to Vegas- we were thrown off when the casinos were full of smoke!

[MamaBearTeacher]

What is it like nowadays in Europe?

[FriedClams]

I live in the Deep South. I see very little smoking here. Very little. I think it's banned indoors pretty much everywhere here, as well as business patios. We recently went to Europe and it was so prevalent my teen son spoke of it often. It's sad that you can't enjoy outdoor cafes through the smoke.

[FriedClams]

What is it like nowadays in Europe?

I won't sit outside because it's constant cigarette smoke. I hate smoke so it's very disappointing to not be able to enjoy the cafe experience.

[Guest]

What is it like nowadays in Europe?

This is something I'm curious about, too. It probably varies with country and region as much as the US.

[teachermom2834]

Lots of public smoking where I live in TN. Chewing tobacco for men. A few years ago I was seeing a lot of vaping but not so much anymore.

 

I asked my teenagers if kids still smoke. They said everyone smokes- just not tobacco.

[Pawz4me]

I'm in NC.

 

It's been years and years since I've seen anyone smoking in public. Or maybe I have and didn't notice it? I don' think so because I detest the smell of cigarette smoke.

 

I only know one person who smokes, and she's an elderly lady who I believe has been a smoker her entire adult life.

 

There are some vape shops around, but I don't know how to classify their numbers (a few? a lot?) because I've never paid any attention to how many I've seen in other parts of the country.

 

It's rather astounding how much tobacco is NOT grown here now compared to when I was a kid.

 

ETA: DH and I just got back from a trip to West Virginia. We spent three nights there and made several stops on the trip up and back both in Virginia and West Virginia. I don't recall seeing a single person smoking. Which ties in with my comment above that it's been years since I've seen that. I was just kind of doing a mental review to make sure I was being accurate. ;)

Edited September 24, 2017 by Pawz4me

[Crimson Wife]

This is something I'm curious about, too. It probably varies with country and region as much as the US.

 

Also race/ethnicity. Out here in the S.F. Bay Area it seems fairly rare EXCEPT among male East Asian immigrants. Chinese and Vietnamese men in particular are often heavy smokers.

[Liz CA]

This is something I'm curious about, too. It probably varies with country and region as much as the US.

 

Last I heard, it is still allowed in many establishments and therefore more prevalent.

Of course, they are lots of outdoor cafes and smoking there is common.

Overall, much more pervasive - including pipes but I don't know about vaping in Europe.

 

Here in my part of CA, it is a rare event to see someone smoking in public.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Liz CA

[SamanthaCarter]

Staunton is in tobacco allotment territory and families were growing it as a cash crop to fund vacations or Christmas or college funds as much as 15 years ago. Teenagers were hired to dehead the plants, going through the field and plucking off the flowers. You could absorb the nicotine if you didn't wear gloves. Also kids would help hang it in barns. Easy way to make some spending money.

 

It's not around anymore, but there's probably a lingering lack of worry about exposing kids. I'm sure they didn't think anything of having a kid go into the tobacco shop to collect his card for a few minutes. Frankly I wouldn't worry about my kid going in a smoke filled tobacco shop for five minutes unless one had asthma.

 

As for smoking outdoors in public, I don't know. I'm not too far from Staunton and I don't see it any more here than where I lived in Georgia and South Carolina. I have noticed there's a clear socioeconomic correlation. You are more likely to see it in the working class.

 

 

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Edited September 24, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[3 ladybugs]

I have given birth in Philly 3/5 times and I am always shocked that there is smoking RIGHT outside the main entrance to the hospital. In fact I have even seen patients (obviously fairly well ones) outside in the courtyard for a smoke. Yeah I think it is odd too! 

[MEmama]

What is it like nowadays in Europe?

From my experiences it's MUCH less common than it used to be, at least in Northern Europe. On our last trip we weren't bothered by it much all, a stark difference from previous trips. We noticed it seemed heaviest (out of the countries we visited) in northern Germany, but still it was an improvement from years ago.

[mom2scouts]

I rarely see smoking in public around here, although I think you would still find it in local bars. I'm near a several large universities and they are going smoke free this year. No smoking is allowed on campus inside or outside of buildings. I know a couple of people who smoke, but they always go outside.

[Guest]

Staunton is in tobacco allotment territory and families were growing it as a cash crop to fund vacations or Christmas or college funds as much as 15 years ago. Teenagers were hired to dehead the plants, going through the field and plucking off the flowers. You could absorb the nicotine if you didn't wear gloves. Also kids would help hang it in barns. Easy way to make some spending money.

 

It's not around anymore, but there's probably a lingering lack of worry about exposing kids. I'm sure they didn't think anything of having a kid go into the tobacco shop to collect his card for a few minutes. Frankly I wouldn't worry about my kid going in a smoke filled tobacco shop for five minutes unless one had asthma.

 

As for smoking outdoors in public, I don't know. I'm not too far from Staunton and I don't see it any more here than where I lived in Georgia and South Carolina. I have noticed there's a clear socioeconomic correlation. You are more likely to see it in the working class.

 

 

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Very interesting. I did not realize Tobacco as crop was so recently common.

[SamanthaCarter]

Very interesting. I did not realize Tobacco as crop was so recently common.

Yeah, the allotment system and price supports were fully phased out by 2004, still pretty recent. Tobacco was actually a very pretty crop, I thought.

 

 

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[Rachel]

I live in a tobacco state, there's a few acre tobacco field less than a mile from my house and tobacco barns that I pass regularly. Next spring and summer I will regularly pass trailers full of baled tobacco headed to market.

 

That said, smoking is not unheard of but I don't think it's super common either. It has been banned indoors for 15ish years. The nearby city was one of the first places in the country to ban indoor smoking and all the smaller surrounding communities quickly followed. It's also not allowed outdoors on the campuses of the universities, hospitals, or many work places. When you drive past a hospital you will see a small group of people in wheelchairs with their iv stands near the side of the road smoking, it's kind of odd.

 

When I went back to the Midwest this summer I was shocked by how much more common smoking was, there were even a couple restaurants with smoking areas. That was a blast from the past. I don't remember smoking being very common as a child.

 

ETA apparently the state of CA banned smoking several years earlier. Maybe ours was the first city, I'm going to have to find some old articles. Interestingly Wikipedia has the smoking ban for my town and the nearby city as 10 years later than it actually happened. I've never updated a Wikipedia reference, but now I'm tempted.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Rach

[Rachel]

Yeah, the allotment system and price supports were fully phased out by 2004, still pretty recent. Tobacco was actually a very pretty crop, I thought.

 

 

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It is a pretty crop. In my area it's still grown but apparently there isn't nearly as much as there once was. I moved here right as everything was changing so I don't have anything to compare it with.

[Pawz4me]

Very interesting. I did not realize Tobacco as crop was so recently common.

Oh yes. Fifteen years ago there was still quite a lot of tobacco grown here. It declined gradually, year by year. Despite the harm smoking causes I kind of miss the tobacco. That final "pull" of the year and seeing the bare stalks left in the fields used to signal the end of summer (and the beginning of fall, my favorite season). And I loved driving through Winston-Salem and smelling the sweet smell of tobacco from R.J. Reynolds' factories. It was a nice, pleasant smell to me, very much unlike cigarette smoke. I guess it's not PC to admit, but I do miss those things.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Pawz4me

[Callie]

I remember quite a number of years ago when visiting North Carolina I was quite surprised to see the different attitude towards smoking compared to other places in the US (as in ashtrays in fast food restaurants). I suppose it is because tobacco is/was the livelihood of quite a number of people in the area.

Same here in Ky.

[Callie]

Very interesting. I did not realize Tobacco as crop was so recently common.

I'm surrounded by tobacco fields. There are probably several hundred acres within 10 miles of my home.

[Callie]

I live in a tobacco state, there's a few acre tobacco field less than a mile from my house and tobacco barns that I pass regularly. Next spring and summer I will regularly pass trailers full of baled tobacco headed to market.

 

That said, smoking is not unheard of but I don't think it's super common either. It has been banned indoors for 15ish years. The nearby city was one of the first places in the country to ban indoor smoking and all the smaller surrounding communities quickly followed. It's also not allowed outdoors on the campuses of the universities, hospitals, or many work places. When you drive past a hospital you will see a small group of people in wheelchairs with their iv stands near the side of the road smoking, it's kind of odd.

 

When I went back to the Midwest this summer I was shocked by how much more common smoking was, there were even a couple restaurants with smoking areas. That was a blast from the past. I don't remember smoking being very common as a child.

Indoor smoking has only been banned here for about 6 years. My counties public schools just last school year started an anti tobacco campaign. And they tiptoe around it trying not to offend people in the community.

[Callie]

Oh yes. Fifteen years ago there was still quite a lot of tobacco grown here. It declined gradually, year by year. Despite the harm smoking causes I kind of miss the tobacco. That final "pull" of the year and seeing the bare stalks left in the fields used to signal the end of summer (and the beginning of fall, my favorite season). And I loved driving through Winston-Salem and smelling the sweet smell of tobacco from R.J. Reynolds' factories. It was a nice, pleasant smell to me, very much unlike cigarette smoke. I guess it's not PC to admit, but I do miss those things.

So much is (or has been) grown here that other crops have the faint sweet fresh tobacco taste. Especially strawberries. I love the taste of a strawberry grown in an old tobacco field. Even more so when made into jam.

[rose]

I'm in BC. I honestly think that I smell more marijuana then I do tobacco when I'm in public. When my two oldest were 5 I can distinctly remember one of them shouting out rather loudly, "I smell marijuana!" when it was just someone smoking a cigarette. Those two had/have a knack for embarrassing me.

 

In BC it's really an underclass sort of activity. You typically find that it's the most dysfunctional people in society that are smokers. Those that are "higher class" do so quite secretly if they can't stop. I was absolutely shocked to learn that two of of the students in my dh's med school class smoked. I had a midwife that smoked too and that surprised me greatly as well. I just haven't seen enough of the world I guess.

[Janeway]

Where I live now, I rarely see anyone smoke. When I would go back to rural Midwest where relatives live, I would see it.

[wintermom]

There isn't much tobacco smoke in our area (Ontario, Canada), but it still surprises me when I see young people smoke in public. My neighbour, an older gentleman recently moved here from China, smokes outside his house so we can smell the smoke. My dc hate that.  Otherwise, I tend to smell more marijuana smoke as well. It kind of starts off smelling like a skunk, which we get a lot of in the summer.  :001_unsure:  I don't like the smell, though it is better than skunk.

 

Across the border into the province of Quebec there is typically a lot more smoking in public places and in general. It still seems pretty strong in their culture. 

Edited September 25, 2017 by wintermom

[Wheres Toto]

NJ has banned smoking pretty much everywhere indoors.  The past few years I've noticed they've also gotten stricter on having to go a certain distance from buildings in order to smoke as well.  I hardly ever see anyone smoking anymore unless I notice them driving with the windows open.  

 

I think it's still legal in casinos in Atlantic City but oldest dd was there last weekend and said there wasn't a lot of smoking even there.

[Bluegoat]

I'm eastern Canada.We have higher levels of smoking here statistically than some other parts of the country, but the laws are similar to what other Canadians have described.  I see little of it.

 

It's a bit more common in some rural areas, and the other place it seems more common is the military.  I am happy to say that since my dh retired fro the reserves this year he's not fallen off the wagon on smoking at all, which used to happen a lot after military exercises.  It's related to the break culture, partly, but also I think high stress and dangerous work is also a factor.

 

I also small mj a lot more often these days, even yesterday when I was stuck in traffic.  It's a bit weird how the culture around public use of mj seems to be really different than smoking.

[Bluegoat]

Vape stores are big here too - I don't see many people doing it though.  I think people are just used to doing it at home.

[Elizabeth86]

Well VA is tobacco country. My dh smokes so I dont really notice it. I do think it is not good they included the cigar shop as a place to send kids. It seems like only yesterday you chose smoking or non smoking at a resturaunt...it is unreal how much time has passed... sorry I got side tracked

 

Even though my dh smokes, I dont approve of people smoking around kids.

[marbel]

I have nothing to add to the smoking discussion. I'm just here to ask Quill to give us a trip report.  I am not the biggest HP fan but I LOVE Staunton and have seen a few facebook photos of the festival from a few of the businesses there.  Anyway, I'm dying to know how it was, where you stayed, and what you did when you weren't at the festival, etc. 

[HS Mom in NC]

It's rare here in the SW with the exception of Las Vegas casino hotels.  Middle daughter competed in an archery tournament there and as soon as the casino hotel doors opened, we were hit with a fog of smoke.  Vegas smells like cigarettes and desperation. You can get a no smoking room, but the smell is everywhere.

I'm not surprised by the smoke shop.  I know adults who grew up reading Harry Potter books the days they were released (same age range as my oldest kids) and they're 21 now.  Those who were young adults when they came out are well over 21, so it makes sense to me that even a smoke shop would want to get in on that.  The annual Harry Potter Halloween  parties ( LARP type events) my kids went to were organized by young parents really into Harry Potter.

[Guest]

I'm eastern Canada.We have higher levels of smoking here statistically than some other parts of the country, but the laws are similar to what other Canadians have described. I see little of it.

 

It's a bit more common in some rural areas, and the other place it seems more common is the military. I am happy to say that since my dh retired fro the reserves this year he's not fallen off the wagon on smoking at all, which used to happen a lot after military exercises. It's related to the break culture, partly, but also I think high stress and dangerous work is also a factor.

 

I also small mj a lot more often these days, even yesterday when I was stuck in traffic. It's a bit weird how the culture around public use of mj seems to be really different than smoking.

Is recreational marijuana legal in Canada?

[Guest]

It's rare here in the SW with the exception of Las Vegas casino hotels. Middle daughter competed in an archery tournament there and as soon as the casino hotel doors opened, we were hit with a fog of smoke. Vegas smells like cigarettes and desperation. You can get a no smoking room, but the smell is everywhere.

 

I'm not surprised by the smoke shop. I know adults who grew up reading Harry Potter books the days they were released (same age range as my oldest kids) and they're 21 now. Those who were young adults when they came out are well over 21, so it makes sense to me that even a smoke shop would want to get in on that. The annual Harry Potter Halloween parties ( LARP type events) my kids went to were organized by young parents really into Harry Potter.

Oh, I'm really into HP, and I'm clearly not a child. :) But it is still popular with lots of kids and there were lots of kids and teens at the event. So, I still find the smokeshop participating odd, especially with people actively smoking in it while the Potter Party thing was going on. I found it surprising.

[lmrich]

I grew up in NC and graduated from high school in 88. There was a smoking section for students right off the cafeteria. 

 

When visiting Europe I am always surprised by how many people smoke. 

[Mergath]

There's definitely less smoking here in Minnesota than there used to be. Many places have banned it from their property completely. The only time I ever really see people smoking is when I'm driving and and people smoke in their vehicles. It's been illegal inside public buildings here forever.

 

We have a couple of vape shops here, but I don't see people vaping much in public.

[Bluegoat]

Is recreational marijuana legal in Canada?

 

Not yet, but it will be soonish.

 

But the police are no longer cracking down on rec use, since the law is going to change.

 

It's still not something you are supposed to do while driving, but over the past year since the govt decided to make the change, I've noticed it three or four times.

 

It's quite fascinating to me - public smoking and alcohol are both seen as potential vices - the latter less so, but everyone recognizes it has a social cost.

 

After years of lobbying on the part of mj advocates, that attitude seems to be really different.  Some still hate it of course, but many people seem to treat it as wholly benign.  

[fairfarmhand]

I'm surrounded by tobacco fields. There are probably several hundred acres within 10 miles of my home.

Me too. We live in a county that is world renowned for the dark fired tobacco grown here. Smelling the wood smoke wafting on the air from the tobacco barns firing that tobacco is part of fall. In the mornings, the smoke sits down in the low spots of the field and it's just gorgeous with the golden light and mist rising over the fields and a back drop of colorful fall leaves. The crop in the fields itself is beautiful too.

 

We drove up into Kentucky two weeks ago and saw lots of Burley tobacco in the fields, and hanging in barns. I was surprised that they don't fire cure Burley. It's all air cured. Burley is pretty too!

 

Tobacco is one of the best paying crops in our area. Our family talked about growing it. I just couldn't deal with the violation of my ethics. We decided we wouldn't feel good about making money that way.

 

However, here in Tennessee public smoking is pretty much banned. In my area it is typically seen as a low-class thing. You'll see outdoor smoking in bad parts of town.

 

 

It's quite fascinating to me - public smoking and alcohol are both seen as potential vices - the latter less so, but everyone recognizes it has a social cost.

 

After years of lobbying on the part of mj advocates, that attitude seems to be really different.  Some still hate it of course, but many people seem to treat it as wholly benign.  

I can't see the difference between sucking tobacco smoke into your body as opposed to sucking marijuana smoke into your body. I don't get it, but there are a lot of things about that stuff that I don't get either.