Smoking Bans and the Elderly

Posted by Julie Burtinshaw Oct 31, 2006

One could argue that if a person has reached the ripe old age of, let's say 99, they have successfully avoided the perils of nicotine. Yet, draconian anti-smoking laws in place in Toronto, Canada mean that even the very elderly are forced to go outside to enjoy a smoke. The results? Some serious falls, a number of broken hips and some severe colds to name just a few.

Perhaps the Ontario government should insist that nursing homes should provide smoking rooms for thier residents -- they have few freedoms left and let's face it -- if smoking hasn't killed them yet, it's not going to.