I don’t know about ”most people in the workforce.” I’m in my mid-30s, and not only do I remember it once or twice from my childhood, I also encountered it once in 2013 (at a brewpub somewhere in New York). You’re right, though, that it becomes less of a thing with each passing year.

I’m thinking this only applies to 20 somethings

They do if they have medical insurance.

So I’ve since quit, and I understand why even what I’m about to describe doesn’t exist anymore where I am, but right at the tail end of smoking indoors there were businesses/buildings doing totally walled off, wellish ventilated smoking areas. Those seemed ok to me, and when I (stupidly) took up smoking I was sad those were gone.

The only, and last, one I saw when I was a smoker was in an airport, which was an unexpected godsend because my fuck does it suck to be a smoker waiting for a flight.

(Yes, it’s a gross and deadly habit that’s also unhealthy and gross for the people around you and the employees who had to work in/clean such spaces, and it makes sense to have no smoking indoors).

When I was a kid, I went on a plane with my mum and we had to walk through a smoking section at one point (we were in the non smoking part).

It was a memory I wouldn’t forget, not that it was anything spectacular though it smelt rather bad. Ironic since I mix tobacco with my weed now a fair bit (unless I’m vapourising).

Now it just surprises me that smoking was ever allowed inside aircrafts. Absolutely mad times we have come from.

The only good part is there would be a long line out the door and we could get a table for 6 with no waiting. Even though only 25% of tables were non-smoking, that section was empty which made it great for kids as nobody cared how out of line we got.