Toronto Public Health recommends wider outdoor smoking ban

In an unguarded moment on Monday, President Barack Obama joked that he was able to successfully quit smoking “because I'm scared of my wife.”
Following a Civil Society Roundtable at the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, an open mic caught the president questioning U.N. Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai about his smoking habit.
“I hope you quit smoking,” Obama said as the two greeted each other after the event.
Kiai said he still enjoyed a smoke from time-to-time, and asked Obama if he had been able to kick the habit.
“I haven't had a cigarette in 6 years...that's because I'm scared of my wife," Obama told him with a grin.

The commander-in-chief’s nicotine habit has gotten plenty of attention since taking the White House. While pushing for passage of health care reform in 2009, he admitted that he still struggled with cigarettes and has continued to smoke on occasion as president “I've said before that as a former smoker I constantly struggle with it.  Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes?  Yes.  Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker?  No,” he said at a press conference in 2009. “I don't do it in front of my kids.  I don't do it in front of my family. And, you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured.  But there are times where...There are times where I mess up.”In an 2012 interview with iVillage, First Lady Michelle Obama said her husband had been motivated by their daughters to successfully quit for good."I know that his ability to ultimately kick the habit was because of the girls, because they're at the age now where you can't hide," Michelle Obama said. "I think that he didn't want to look his girls in the eye and tell them that they shouldn't do something that he was still doing.

Smoking drivers in grave danger

While travelling towards my house one evening recently, I was shocked to see a driver smoking in the car while driving, and throwing the cigarette on the road, totally unconcerned about the danger he was causing to other drivers.

Studies have shown that smoking while driving increases the probability of a crash. The authorities have also instituted a financial penalty of Dh500 and four black points for such careless drivers. Despite this, I was shocked to see drivers smoking at leisure and throwing cigarette butts out on the road. The cigarettes can ignite other flammable substances, which could be disastrous for other vehicles on the road and lead to a great calamity.

According to local news reports, the number of road accident deaths in the first eight months of this year is much higher than the total number of deaths in the previous year and such an alarming fact could also be attributed to the careless attitude of such drivers. Despite the number of campaigns held and punishments instituted, these drivers are adamant that they would not change. Such drivers need to be caught and punished in a way that they would never repeat this offense again.

As a concerned resident, I appeal to all drivers to drive safely without causing harm to yourself and others. Keep your belts buckled, phones at the side and cigarettes inside. After all, everybody aims to reach their destination safe and sound!