I only have one more thing to say, then I'll force myself to drop out of this discussion. Yes, smoking is a choice, and dying may be a consequence of that choice. But do they have the right to inflict on us the pain of watching them wither away with cancer, to grieve them even more knowing they could have prevented their own death, and to deal with the aftermath, such as unpaid medical bills because no one would cover them with insurance because of the illnesses caused by their choice of habits? My uncle's health insurance was cancelled due to the fact that he had reached the limit of coverage every year for three years. Of course, he couldn't get coverage anywhere else, because he had lung cancer. My aunt was left saddled with over $1,000,000 in hospital and doctor bills, and five kids to raise on her own. She had to declare bankruptcy, and her kids suffered because she could never really make enough money to support them. She finally remarried, and believe it or not, her SECOND husband died of lung cancer also. Luckily, all of her kids were away from home, but without his income, she almost lost her home and everything she owned. She's dying as we speak of emphysema from inhaling 30 years of second hand smoke. I have asthma from inhaling it from my father and from working in smoke filled offices. Do smokers have the right to inflict this on us? It may be their choice, but they leave us with no choice many times. I'm done ranting. Touchy subject for me.

Karen...yes, linner is lunch and dinner. Supposed to be a joke, guess it wasn't funny..similar to brunch. Remember there was a problem with my son? Before the problem, I ate better. Only once did I take vitamins on an empty stomach, NEVER again. Even when I ate better, I'd get sick a day or two after starting vitamins. Not stomach aches. Sore throats, coughs, etc. I bought a B-Complex in liquid form at Walmart..It too is sitting on the shelf with the other vitamins and minerals. Yep, I told my doctor what I 'heard.' He knows how I am when it comes to meds anyway, guess he thought I'd give them a shot. What he didn't know is, when I'm prescribed a new medication, test or surgery, I Google, search the web. Then make up my mind. After 3 sites said, DEATH, 'first line' I knew the pills were going down the toilet. Side effects were awful and very scary. Karen, the pills were Anti-Inflammatories. I don't know if they were non-steroid. After reading your thread, I searched for a site that lists prescription anti-inflammatories. If I heard the name I'd probably recognize it. All I remember is they were oval, orange, and super expensive. The doc gave me a sample box. They're meant to take once a day. They had to be new or semi-new because they only came brand name, no generic. This is how it worked. Docs give enough 'sample' pills to last a week. There's a phone number on the box. You call the number, and they give you a code. The code is basically a coupon for your first order. 75.00 off. I asked the pharmacist the cost..she said it depends on the mgs and our insurance. She also said, expect to pay 'around' 200.00 for a months supply..Out of pocket, not counting insurance. The pills don't contain opiates. One ingredient was the non-aspirin pain medication that they found causes liver damage. I don't use Aleve, sp, Advil, Tylenol, Ibuprofen or Motrin. (For pain, I take one of two powdered asprins: BC's or Goody's.) There's a humongous dossage of the pain med that causes liver problems, and other ingredients in this anti-inflammatory. That's the reason I said, the doc was supposed to tell me not to take aspirin or non-aspirins before and during taking this pill. For one, it will cause severe stomach aches. And other stomach related issues............ Karen, if you, or if anyone else is reading this thread, knows a site w/drug information and pics, will you please give me the address? I checked drug dot com, but didn't find it. The letter V comes to mind, but I checked V's, no luck. Karen, if I find the name, I'll let you know. It pi$$es me off they come out with dangerous meds, and use people as guinea pigs. To make money..What's wrong with old medications? Pills that worked? One doctor said, when we prescribe new drugs a few people will die...That's to be expected..As far as I'm concerned, one person who dies from trying a new medication, 'to get better,' is one too many. That IDIOT!

Check your lease, odds are your neighbor probably signed a contract with the same language as yours (standard clauses tend not to change much). I have several rental houses that I manage. One standard clause in my lease is that tenant will "...agree to comply with all present and future laws, ordinances and regulations of any public authority relating to use of the Premises. Tenant shall not make or permit any noisy or offensive use of the Premises, or allow any nuisance or use which might interfere with the enjoyment of neighbors. Tenant will not permit any hazardous act or use of the Premises which might increase the rate of insurance thereon...Tenant will not make or permit any waste on the Premises..." With that said, you do have rights, and the long term resident does not have more rights than the new one. In the sample clause I wrote above, your neighbor is in violation in multiple ways: she's probably violating local fire ordinance by dropping a lit cigarrette off her balcony and creating a potential fire hazard. (Building owner does not want this risk, better to nip her bad habits than risk a fire that destroys property and potentially takes human life.) She's interfering with your enjoyment of the premises. She's using the exterior of the building as a dumping ground, essentially. Health issues that arise from structural issues or neighbors is not something a landlord wants to contend with. This woman needs to extuingish her butts in an enclosed container (they make mini butt retainers much like the larger ones you see outside public buildings. She can pick one up for under $5 at Ace.) I'd encourage you to approach your landlord and use the same tone you have here. You don't come off as a whiner or someone screeching for their rights. You sound like a civil, level-headed person who just wants to come to a reasonable compromise and be comfortable in your own home. Mention not only the health aspect of it, but make sure to convey to the landlord that his/her property is at potential risk (e.g. "sometimes those cigarettes are still burning when she tosses them down, and when they land on my porch or other part of the building, it makes me anxious that it might be a fire hazard...". That should get the landlord's attention ;) You do not need to suffer in silence!

when my dear uncle died of lung cancer three years ago, (he started smoking when he was 16 died at 82) and we put his 2 BR. villa up for sale (he lived (and smoked)in it for over 20 years It was in extremely wonderful shape, updated and decorated really nice(he was a bachelor but had exquisite taste) and in an exclusive active adult gated community in West Palm Beach when the realtor came and did her thing, and she said that even though the home was worth 150.00 (it was only 1000 SF) she doubt if we even got close to that because of the smoke smell UNLESS a smoker bought it, well almost a year later (usually those villas would be gone in a day or two) we ended up selling it for 85,000 to an ex-smoker who planned to tear up the beautiful Italian wall to wall marble tile, prime and paint, buy all new applinces, and have new air and heating ducts put in, So I guess theres a buyer for everyhouse smoked in or not.