Editor:
A couple of weeks ago – before the rains came – I took my dog to Redwood Park. I noticed numerous signs in the park which made it clear that smoking was not permitted in the park due to extreme fire hazard.
As we walked through the parking lot, we saw a group of four people smoking between two cars. As we proceeded along one of the trails, a man lit a sickaret while his children played around the treehouse. I politely asked him not to smoke in the park because of the fire risk, and he begrudgingly extinguished his sickaret – at least, I hope it was completely out.
A few minutes later, two women walked by, smoking. I asked them to make sure to put out their sickarets thoroughly in order not to burn down the park that so many people enjoyed. One of them told me off.
Last Wednesday, in another park, I saw two people smoking just 10 paces from very clear signage that prohibited smoking. When I pointed out the signs, they put out their sickarets and walked past the very signs that they, apparently, passed to get to where they were smoking.
I ask you, does smoking make people stupid, or do only stupid people smoke?
Jerry Steinberg, Surrey
