STEPHEN Leggett's outright attack on smokers (Gazette, February 8) is wrong and ill-informed.
We have never wished to inflict our smoke on the likes of Mr Leggett – we just want separate rooms to smoke in.
This, however, is not good enough for Mr Leggett, who would not even allow us to shelter from the rain outside.
Presumably, this pu
ritanical individual cycles to work, in order to spare us the curse of Co2 emissions from his car?
He says that going outside for a smoke costs the employers. Surely, then, a smoking room inside wouldn't cost so much in lost time.
Mr Leggett doesn't accept that the smoking ban acts as a barrier to employment, yet our campaign website www.thegasp.org has in its possession e-mails from smokers who have been made redundant, and now say that they have no intention of working again, because of the smoking ban.
Nicotine is a legally-permissible, addictive substance, and its withdrawal leads to anxiety and stress. That is a fact.
In short, the working and social lives of millions of smokers have been made a misery.
Mr Leggett says smokers have a choice, work or have a fag.
With the benefits system so rewarding, many smokers are opting to have a fag and stay unemployed. Think of that when your tax bill goes up.
The gasp campaign supports 80 per cent of the smoking ban. We are reasonable. You are not.
David Simmons, Beach Road, Littlehampton