re: Old People: How widespread was public smoking in the 50s, 60s, and 70s?

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Smoking ban went into effect in LA in 2007, most here should remember smoking in restaurants

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Must've been the same timeline in Alabama, maybe even as late as 2009. Most places had already banned it by policy by then, but places like Waffle House and BWW still allowed smoking until laws banned it everywhere.

I'm 25 and don't smoke now, but I was a hooligan who smoked in HS and college. I had forgot about it until this thread, but can very clearly remember being in HS and smoking cigarettes in BWW and Waffle House. Maybe it's because I wasn't old enough but I can remember it being both a weird feeling being able to, but also feeling slightly like a BA.


ETA:

Just looked it up. No official state law in Alabama banning public smoking altogether. But most municipalities have their own local ordinances, and even the ones that don't it was generally frowned upon everywhere by 2009 except in bars.

I started college in 1990 and one of the matching questions they used for dorm roommates was "Do you smoke?"

They were at least aware of the non-smokers enough to try to put them in non-smoking rooms.

Early 70s - Professor's discretion as to whether you could smoke in class.

My Dad still alive and smoking .... since WW2.

Can't even buy a car/truck now with an actual cigarette lighter in them. They have a plug receptacle, but no actual lighter.

McDonalds had ashtrays out of some light metal and had stacks of 100 or more on the counter you just picked on up and took it to your table and such and then threw it away.

The only non smoking areas I remember was if someone in the hospital was in an oxygen tent and some industral/plant areas if gasoline was present. Wasn't nothing to see people smoking while getting gas.

Used to see people pull up to a convenience store and have their 9 year old go in and buy a pack of cigarettes. Happened all the time.

A lot has changed. Used to could go to the beach in Biloxi and they had beer vending machines in several places.

Commercial aircraft have been refitted but you will ocassionaly see a private airplane now that has ashtrays and cigarette lighters in them, both for the pilot and in the back for passangers.

My mom smoked when she was pregnant with me. Mom and Dad both smoked in the car with all us kids in the back seat. I probably should have dies 20 years ago.

Just about every adult smoked it seemed.

On The Tonight Show ,etc...,everyone was smoking.Comedians smoked.

The Rat Pack Smoked so just about every Male around that age smoked.

Woman that smoked,especially in Movies,were said to look glamorous.

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That pisses me off to no avail. I'm kinda like you, I only smoke every so often (if I go to a bar I'll pick up a pack) but the people that cough when you are smoking are a-holes.

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I was a 2 pack a day smoker till I quit around 2012.The vast majority of smokers out in public are courteous and walk off or step back when someone is walking by them. I'm out in the public all the time with work and of course running errands or whatever. Very seldom do I walk through a cloud of smoke. As a former smoker it probably bothers me more then people who never smoke, at least that's what they say. I would say cig smoke bothers me more now then it did before I picked up smoking, even now, it doesn't bother me near enough to be a douche about it I mean, you might catch a quick whiff, not near as bad as walking next to a idling vehicles exhaust.

"Smoking or non" is a question that was asked constantly at any restaurant up until 2000 or so.

Smoking was allowed in Galatoire's until 2007. There was an indoor smoking concourse at the Dome probably until Katrina; it was PACKED. Every office building had a big ashtray stand full of sand.

Let me put it to you this way... I was youtubing old commercials and ran across the FLINTSTONES advertising for Winston cigarettes.... Long, not ambiguous, commercials with Fred selling Winstons

And a bottle of Fresca between his feet