Could it actually happen?
Somehow I doubt that any of us will see this effort come to fruition, given the thousands of years that people have been smoking, the importance of smoking to certain cultural groups and ceremonies, the "coolness" factor of all sorts of tobacco products, and even the propensity for little kids to sit outside and "smoke" leaves of grass in a teeny tiny rebellion.
Michael Bloomberg and the World Health Organization, however, have lofty goals. They claim that none of these uses of tobacco are what could kill more than 20 billion people this century - it is big tobacco that is the larger enemy. The commercialization and product promotion of deadly cigarettes is what puts the vast majority of us at risk.
I am so grateful for all of the anti-smoking laws that have been enacted in the last few years, and it amazes me both that we are able to get anything passed through the people who are so hyped on anti-government-influence sentiments and that states are still battling over whether to pass these life-saving laws. People in this country are so funny... they tend to want their cake and eat it too, with respect to everything from security to health to taxes and infrastructure.
In any case, this is right up there with Global Warming if you ask me... a worldwide epidemic that may never be conquered, but that we also cannot choose to ignore.
2 comments:
Hi Colby,
This is something we're going to just have to disagree on. The problem with "anti-smoking" laws in general is that they infringe on property rights.
We live in a Republic, not a Democracy, for many reasons. One of them was the understanding of the founding fathers that allowing the majority to trample on the rights of individuals was fundimentally wrong.
As much as I'd love to see smoking outlawed like some other substances that are known only to cause harm (such as illegal drugs) without any possibility of not causing harm (as opposed to alcohol), I am actually more of a fan of limiting the locations in which people smoke than limiting the smoke itself. Smokers may push for their right to enjoy their cigarettes at the local Applebee's, but when it is make me sick to sit the same building as them, the dangers of second-hand smoke outweigh the pleasures of the smoker.
I suppose one could make similar arguments for any public-health-improving laws and regulations, as they are designed to make us all healthier, save the nation from sky-high health care costs, and preserve the environment for the next generation -- sometimes at the cost of the pleasurable habits of a few.
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