Thankfully, the Commonwealth of Virginia has had a smoking ban in public places such as restaurants and bars since December 1, 2009. It passed with a Republican legislature and a Democratic Governor. It was too late to prevent all the problems I've experienced from being around cigarette smoke.

I've had bronchitis and athsma like symptoms ever since middle school. I become extremely ill just by being around tobacco smoke and each time I was I'd develop symptoms that feels like having a case of the flu for two weeks. You tell smokers about it back when it was ok to smoke in public places. They'd say, "oh pity you." Then they would not put the dam* thing out.

The warnings on the side of the cigarette packages are correct. Both of my parents were smokers and both got those conditions listed on the side, I was low birth weight, Mom has heart disease and Dad had emphysema and lung cancer which took his life last year.

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