ShareThisAdd more ammunition to the arsenal of anti-smoking efforts with the latest report on secondhand smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to researchers, more than 1 in 5 high school and middle school students are passengers in cars while others are smoking. (One caveat: In the case of the high school students, the study did not determine if they were in cars with their parents or their peers.)
The study, based on national surveys in schools, and released by the CDC Monday, reports that more than over 22 percent of teens and preteens were exposed to secondhand smoke in cars in 2009. That's the latest year that data are available, according to the Associated Press, but we doubt it has changed much, except perhaps to rise.
That's because with increasing vigor, cities across the nation are going "smokeless," outlawing smoking in private businesses and even outdoors in some cases.
What's bothersome about those edicts is they will do little to curb smoking in the long run.
People quit smoking for all sorts of reasons, most often because of health concerns, either their own or those of loved ones. Smokers know their habit isn't healthy. But outlawing a legal activity isn't as much of a deterrent as some might like to believe.
It just turns ordinary citizens into pariahs, "socially unacceptable" and condemned for their habit while others practice their own distasteful -- and potentially dangerous -- habits without the scorn of friends, family and even strangers.
Ever overhear a stranger ask an overweight person why his or her lunch choice is a supersized burger and fries? Probably not -- especially with so many people carrying concealed weapons these days. But criticizing a smoker, and doing so with marked disdain and self-righteousness? It's the in thing to do.
Riding in a car with anyone of any age and smoking can be taken as rude to the nonsmoker, and inconsiderate at least, if others have an objection. And some smokers will confess that if they aren't smoking, riding with someone who is can be both uncomfortable and smelly.
A parent who smokes with children in the car, according to current evidence, is jeopardizing the children's health. Why would a parent who is normally sometimes overly concerned about the sniffles not understand the danger? Thus the CDC study is properly advising against the practice. The study authors, with all good intentions, have encouraged all states to follow the lead of a few that have banned smoking in a vehicle when a child is present.
Is a smoker's home -- even when no children are present -- the next battleground? After all, if the home's windows are opened on a mild spring day, a hint of smoke might waft into a neighbor's yard.
Smoking is a bad habit. Smokers know it. But turning smokers into criminals isn't the answer. Raising cigarette prices has been somewhat effective, although that has created a black-market trade that will only get worse.
Attempts at prohibition didn't work with alcohol. And let's be honest: It hasn't worked with drugs. Why would we expect it to work with tobacco?
Education would be a more worthy effort, if we spent as much time -- and funding -- on discussion as we spend trying to dictate individual behavior.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
Smoking, or should I say, "NO SMOKING?"
First of all, let me qualify my remarks by stating that, "I am a smoker!" Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on anti-smoking campaigns, which I feel has been a gross misuse of taxpayer money which could be better spent elsewhere. We who still smoke are very much aware of the dangers and health risks involved when we smoke...how could we not, with all the publicity that abounds regarding the risks surrounding this bad habit? We who still choose to smoke, regardless of all the anti-smoking publicity, will continue to do so no matter what programs or "stop smoking" aids are put out there to help us end our addictions. I can't speak for other people's reasons for not quitting, but as for myself, I continue to smoke for a purely selfish reason...I ENJOY it! Don't get me wrong, I commend anyone who has stopped smoking for any reason that's important to them, whether it's for medical reasons or just as a personal choice. I respect their decisions, whatever they may be, and if I'm visiting a non-smoker's home, I won't smoke while I'm there, just as I don't smoke around a medical facility. In other words, I do respect my boundaries, just as I expect everyone to respect my right to smoke, as it is not an illegal act, and people who come to my home must realize that it's not a smoke-free zone, nor is my car...if you "can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke"...you're not welcome in my car, or my home, and you're not welcome to lecture me on the hazards of my lifestyle. Believe me when I tell you I've heard it all before, many times, by "do-gooders" who thought they could deter me from my bad habit...I KNOW it's a "bad" habit, but it's still MY CHOICE!