Re: Smoking, fat food and cheap cologne

From: Bellatrix Lestrange (bellatrix.lestrange.cmt_at_gmail.com)
Date: 10/08/04 

Date: 8 Oct 2004 00:45:12 -0700

x-no-archive: yes

Reply, part 2 of 2 [Google Groups balked at the length of the reply]

And specifically concerning tobacco, what about the issue of children?
I doubt anyone would disagree that exposure to their parents'
secondhand smoke causes many children to suffer asthma and other health
problems. I saw a survey on a parenting site recently that frankly
scared me -- the question was, should we pass a law that would make it
illegal to smoke in the car when children are present. The responses
were something like 70% in favor. I see that sort of thing as the thin
edge of the wedge. People can immediately understand that subjecting
children to secondhand smoke in the close environment of a car is
wrong, so they think, yes, make it illegal. But will people stop
there? Will they then create laws prohibiting smoking inside one's
house when one has children? Once a community does that, what's to
stop them from, to go to a ridiculous extreme here, making it illegal
to serve children fast food for dinner, or to serve them anything other
than a well-balanced, healthy meal? (Who would define healthy?)

There's another issue here when children are involved. Is making
something like smoking in a car with the child present illegal in the
best interests of the child? What punishment should be mandated -- a
fine? Arguably that wouldn't punish only the adult who smoked but the
entire economic unit of the family. Imprisonment can't be the
punishment -- how would it serve a child's interests to have Mom or Dad
in jail?

A lot to ponder here. Legislating morality doesn't work. Making a
private act illegal doesn't mean people will stop doing the act --
they'll just try not to get caught. How many years has the "war on
drugs" been fought? I read recently that it has resulted in the
imprisonment of 1/3 of all black men, yet it hasn't affected the
availability of drugs much at all. In contrast, programs to educate
people about the dangers of tobacco smoking have succeeded -- many
fewer people smoke now than did before the programs began -- yet adults
are still free to choose this behavior. I personally believe the most
practical solution is to educate people, hope that they'll chose
healthy behaviors for themselves and their children, make treatment
readily available for those who want it, and accept that as a society
we will incur some social cost as a consequence of preserving our
personal freedom.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT:Promises.Promises
    ... "The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: ... independent scientists and by lead scientists within the Centers for Disease ... "Secondhand smoke has been designated as a known human carcinogen ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Smoking ban in Chicago started Monday
    ... >>> costs of smoking have been absorbed by the tobacco companies. ... Secondhand smoke doesn't contain enough toxins to kill ... Her lung, what's left of it, has done just fine for 30 years. ...
    (misc.transport.trucking)
  • Re: How to tell when youre too old to gig
    ... report on the matter makes that real clear. ... Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or ... The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Resist the tobacco Taliban
    ... breathes in smoke from other people's tobacco. ... result of involuntary smoking. ... of American children regularly breathe in secondhand smoke at home. ... You're a low life scumsucking addict. ...
    (alt.smokers.pipes)
  • Daily Health and Lifestyle Tips
    ... habits we are surrounded with are what we usually pick up as a kid. ... To make healthy conscious choices makes you feel ... Healthy Lifestyle Tips: Educate Your Family.Educate yourself and your ... Secondhand smoke is a known risk factor for lung cancer. ...
    (misc.health.alternative)