Something that isn’t talked about much with cigarette smoke is the sheer stench of it that’s left behind in the walls, furniture, carpet, drapes, etc. There’s actually a term for this stench — third-hand smoke. And for a lot of non-smokers, it’s pretty awful.

I had to laugh at a number of stories I saw about the new Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, (who coincidentally is a fitness nut who runs marathons and lies about running three-hour marathons), having to literally  fumigate John Boehner’s old Speaker office to “detoxify” it.

Boehner is not only well-known for being a chain smoker, but he once actually handed out checks from tobacco lobbyists directly to congresspeople in the House of Representatives. Talk about being a pretty brazen lackey of the tobacco industry. Not only was he a political sleaze, he was also apparently a real butthead of a smoker, too, who chain smoked in his office and smoked during closed-door meetings with non-smokers.

According to Ryan:  “I try to sit as far away from him as I can in meetings that I know are going to be stressful. I just hate getting that smell in my clothes.”

Seriously, only a clueless out-of-touch congressman could get away with that kind of stuff today. In defence of most smokers, no one smokes in offices and around non-smokers today. Not unless they’re in a bar. In certain states.

Well, if Boehner was smoking in his office, which he obviously was, doesn’t that violate Washington, D.C.’s ban on indoor smoking? Apparently, there is an exemption for congresspersons. Go figure. Wonder what role Boehner played in that?

Not only that, it isn’t cheap to get rid of the odour. This is all happening at taxpayer’s request. When Nancy Pelosi took over Boehner’s old Minority Leader office, she had to replace all the carpeting and drapes, have the paint stripped and then repaint the office to get rid of the odour. So, now it’s having to be done again to get the same reek out of Ryan’s new office. I’m guessing to have two offices completely refurbished liked that probably cost in the tens of thousands. They oughta send a bill to Boehner.

One thing I have learned about smoking bans — and I first learned this from talking to bar owners — is what a drag it is to get rid of the odour of cigarette smoke. In fact, I was talking to some bar owners the other day about this very thing. It is incredibly expensive and difficult to get that smell out of the walls, ceilings, etc. Even when I once had smokers downstairs in an apartment building, I had to have my own carpet cleaned to get rid of their downstairs smoke odour that wafted up through the floor. Just another good reason for indoor smoking bans. It not only damages other people’s lungs, it does a heck of a lot of damage to carpeting, walls, furniture and clothing.