Leave the poor persecuted smokers alone

• I AM writing in response to Lester May’s letter (Thick with smoke, December 10)
Are smokers less intelligent than non-smokers he asks.
The answer to that is no. He seems to object to tiny little cigarette ends lying in the street, even though there is a lot of much bigger litter on the streets, such as empty cans, papers, and so on. Yet he chooses to point the finger at smokers. As if smokers don’t get enough hassle already.
Isn’t that what street cleaners are paid to do?
Non-smokers are some of the most intolerant people around. Pubs have become sterile because of the smoking ban; they have now become
establish- ments for old ladies and babies.
So leave smokers alone.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, NW3