alexban,
You make several extremely good points (as usual). There is a mountain of evidence (just ask any smoker if you want to do your own research) that a well addicted smoker loses focus, mental function, physical co-ordination, and a host of other undesirable attributes occur after 3 to 4 hours without a cigarette. Do we want this in an operating crew member? For me, absolutely not. If my F/O is a smoker I make it well understood that he / she is allowed to smoke as necessary. If I am a passenger and I know that the crew are smokers, I sure as hell hope that they're having a couple of sneaky drags.
None of this is meant as a justification of smoking, it's a filthy dangerous habit, and the correct answer is that aircrew should give up smoking immediately, BUT, if the affected crew member has not yet 'seen the light', there is a genuine safety consideration in allowing this leeway.
I may be old, I may be grumpy, and I might have a lot of bad habits, but INTOLERANCE is not numbered amongst those bad habits.
Now, for those who want to drink and fly, or use drugs and fly, where do I get my queue number for the firing squad?
(As said before, you can read anything you like into my call-sign, and you'll probably be wrong)
Regards,
Old Smokey