Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Kicking off Saturday and taking place once a month thereafter, protesters against a recently enacted smoking ban on Boston public property will descend upon the city's storied Boston Common as a show of defiance. A Facebook event page aptly titled Boston Common Smoke Out/Vape Up! is
encouraging smokers to disobey the municipal ordinance and light up
their cigs, stogies, joints and blunts in the center of one of The Hub's
most iconic landmarks.
But they shouldn't. And neither should you.
As a former cigarette smoker and proponent of individual liberties, I find the notion that people would try to promote what's been scientifically proven to cause cancer and a slew of other fatal diseases – redundant almost to the point of annoyance – a deeply misguided and warped view of one's constitutional rights.
While yes, I believe to a rather liberal extent that people should be able to ingest whatever they please and degrade their bodies in the most disgusting of manners as they so choose, it seems they fail to realize the direct endangerment of those around them which should be paramount.
I very much enjoy walking through Boston Common. The amount of history and identity amassed throughout the years over its sprawling 50 acres is like nothing else in the country. Adjacent to the land is Beacon Hill, the Boston Public Gardens line another border and an eerie though lionized cemetery calls an isolated corner home. It goes without saying that Boston Common is a picture of illustrious beauty.
That beauty is lost when the pathways and greenways are littered with cigarette butts and blunt wrappers. In fact, its embarrassing to present such a grimy space to those who travel the world to view what they expect to be a place of purity and antiquity.
The last thing I want while enjoying all of these intricacies is to start jonesing. That's what happens sometimes when I jaunt along through, soaking up all of the happenings while imagining those of yore, as I pass someone and catch a crave-inducing whiff of the nasty looking cig hanging from their lips.
Even more disheartening is seeing young parents strolling along with their little tykes having to make their way through a cloud of carcinogens when all they want to do is enjoy the natural amenities afforded by our fare city. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoke "contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds. More than 250 of these chemicals are known to be harmful, and at least 69 are known to cause cancer." Lucky Strike cigarettes.
I put it to you, smoker: as you light up and take another drag of poison, is your protest really worth the harm being brought upon those dispassionate about your habit?
According to the demonstration's Facebook page, the goal of the event is to challenge the law simply because they find it to be "unenforceable at best and selectively enforceable at worst." Nowhere is mentioned rights, liberties or the contention of governmental overstepping. Simply, the founders of this event "are outraged to learn that there will now be a $250.00 fine for smoking outdoors in a Park in Boston."
I have no problem with peaceful protests. In fact, I agree when Thomas Jefferson referred to general rebellion as a natural manure for the tree of liberty. But that is only true when it serves the common good. Smoking on public property is simply self-serving.
Nobody's telling you not to smoke. Go right ahead. Enjoy systematically losing minutes off your life with every puff. Take it to the sidewalk, street corners, rooftops, wherever. But don't subject your neighbors and community to the same demise. Have a little self-respect. Have respect for your fellow man. And keep in mind that the law is meant to have your health and best interests at heart.
But they shouldn't. And neither should you.
As a former cigarette smoker and proponent of individual liberties, I find the notion that people would try to promote what's been scientifically proven to cause cancer and a slew of other fatal diseases – redundant almost to the point of annoyance – a deeply misguided and warped view of one's constitutional rights.
While yes, I believe to a rather liberal extent that people should be able to ingest whatever they please and degrade their bodies in the most disgusting of manners as they so choose, it seems they fail to realize the direct endangerment of those around them which should be paramount.
I very much enjoy walking through Boston Common. The amount of history and identity amassed throughout the years over its sprawling 50 acres is like nothing else in the country. Adjacent to the land is Beacon Hill, the Boston Public Gardens line another border and an eerie though lionized cemetery calls an isolated corner home. It goes without saying that Boston Common is a picture of illustrious beauty.
That beauty is lost when the pathways and greenways are littered with cigarette butts and blunt wrappers. In fact, its embarrassing to present such a grimy space to those who travel the world to view what they expect to be a place of purity and antiquity.
The last thing I want while enjoying all of these intricacies is to start jonesing. That's what happens sometimes when I jaunt along through, soaking up all of the happenings while imagining those of yore, as I pass someone and catch a crave-inducing whiff of the nasty looking cig hanging from their lips.
Even more disheartening is seeing young parents strolling along with their little tykes having to make their way through a cloud of carcinogens when all they want to do is enjoy the natural amenities afforded by our fare city. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoke "contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds. More than 250 of these chemicals are known to be harmful, and at least 69 are known to cause cancer." Lucky Strike cigarettes.
I put it to you, smoker: as you light up and take another drag of poison, is your protest really worth the harm being brought upon those dispassionate about your habit?
According to the demonstration's Facebook page, the goal of the event is to challenge the law simply because they find it to be "unenforceable at best and selectively enforceable at worst." Nowhere is mentioned rights, liberties or the contention of governmental overstepping. Simply, the founders of this event "are outraged to learn that there will now be a $250.00 fine for smoking outdoors in a Park in Boston."
I have no problem with peaceful protests. In fact, I agree when Thomas Jefferson referred to general rebellion as a natural manure for the tree of liberty. But that is only true when it serves the common good. Smoking on public property is simply self-serving.
Nobody's telling you not to smoke. Go right ahead. Enjoy systematically losing minutes off your life with every puff. Take it to the sidewalk, street corners, rooftops, wherever. But don't subject your neighbors and community to the same demise. Have a little self-respect. Have respect for your fellow man. And keep in mind that the law is meant to have your health and best interests at heart.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Ohio State University Marks Anniversary Of Report That Linked Cigarettes To Death
Representatives from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer
Center and other officials commemorated the 50th anniversary of a
Surgeon General report that linked smoking to lung cancer and chronic
diseases. Parliament Aqua Blue
In 1963, 42 percent of Americans smoked - virtually everywhere - airplanes, offices, and restaurants.
But then Surgeon General Luther Terry wrote that smoking cigarettes could kill you.
Today, just 19 percent of adults smoke, and the rate of deaths has dropped dramatically.
The rate is especially impressive among young people.
"Just last month, we learned that smoking among 8th, 9th and 10th graders was below 10 percent," said Robin Koval, President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. "That is an amazing achievement."
The Ohio State University became a "smoke free" campus this week.
A new American Medical Association report shows that since 1964, eight million people have been spared a premature death because they never smoked, or quit smoking early - and they gained, on average, almost 20 years of life.
However, it isn't all good news.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death.
Nearly a half million Americans die each year due to smoking, and eight million people are living with at least one serious chronic disease caused by tobacco.
In 1963, 42 percent of Americans smoked - virtually everywhere - airplanes, offices, and restaurants.
But then Surgeon General Luther Terry wrote that smoking cigarettes could kill you.
Today, just 19 percent of adults smoke, and the rate of deaths has dropped dramatically.
The rate is especially impressive among young people.
"Just last month, we learned that smoking among 8th, 9th and 10th graders was below 10 percent," said Robin Koval, President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. "That is an amazing achievement."
The Ohio State University became a "smoke free" campus this week.
A new American Medical Association report shows that since 1964, eight million people have been spared a premature death because they never smoked, or quit smoking early - and they gained, on average, almost 20 years of life.
However, it isn't all good news.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death.
Nearly a half million Americans die each year due to smoking, and eight million people are living with at least one serious chronic disease caused by tobacco.
Illegal tobacco seller Roger Gerrey sold cigarettes to children
A man who turned his Devon home into a shop selling illegal cigarettes to school children has been spared a jail sentence.
Roger Gerrey, 65, from Lemon Place, Newton Abbot, was selling fake brands to children, Exeter Crown Court heard.In two raids on his house nearly £13,000 in cash and £14,000 worth of tobacco were discovered.
Gerrey was given a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting seven offences.
He admitted two offences under the trademark laws, three under consumer protection laws and two of selling tobacco to children. Continent Superslims
The court heard that Gerrey's house was raided by Devon trading standards officers in June 2013 when 602 packets of rolling tobacco and 555 packets of 20 cigarettes worth about £14,000 were found, along with £11,870 in cash.
Gerrey admitted that the money came from selling illegal tobacco, but despite knowing that he was under investigation he continued to sell illegal tobacco.
The money seized from Gerrey was forfeited by the court.
Roger Croad, Devon councillor with responsibility for trading standards, said Gerrey had been convicted of a "serious criminal offence".
China, world's leading tobacco user, moves to ban indoor public smoking
China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, is aiming to ban indoor smoking in public areas by the end of the year.
About one in three
cigarettes smoked in the world is in China, according to the World
Health Organization. And more than half of Chinese men smoke, according
to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2010.
Although the nation's
health ministry issued guidelines in 2011 to ban smoking in places like
hotels and restaurants, they haven't been "strictly enforced," according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.
The China's National Health and Family Commission is now working on a tobacco control law with clear punishments, according to Xinhua.
Davidoff iD Orange
China's smoking habit
The country's health
authorities estimate over a million deaths from tobacco-related diseases
every year. The WHO warns that if tobacco use is not decreased in
China, these deaths will increase to 3 million by 2050.
Last month, Chinese government officials were told not to smoke in public places such as hospitals, public transport or schools to set a good example for the public.
The latest moves by the
Chinese government on tobacco are "hopeful," said Dr. Judith Mackay, the
senior adviser at the World Lung Foundation, who examines tobacco
issues in China.
About 32 Chinese cities have passed their own rules to restrict public smoking, she added.
"China stands on its own
in the magnitude of the problem," said Mackay. "Unless there is change
in China, we won't proceed further in reducing the tobacco epidemic in
the world."
Tobacco use in China has far-reaching consequences, she said.
"This isn't a health
problem. It's a huge economic problem. There's all these things ranging
from medical and health care costs, the costs to the families and
there's the cost of secondhand smoke."
Success against smoking: Your Say
Fifty years ago, a Surgeon General's report concluded tobacco causes lung cancer, launching a public health campaign that has cut smoking rates in half. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:
Nothing ticks me off more than people who try to tell others how to live. Yes, there are health issues related to smoking, but we should have the right to live our lives the way we see fit. Too many people want to force what they consider to be "the right way to live" on others.
— Colin Yapp
Fewer people smoking is better for them and for all of us. The tobacco industry is still taking action to keep its business alive. Big Tobacco companies will lie to hide the bad effects of their products and try everything to increase the number of people hooked on them.
— Modesto Rodriguez Montes
Raising taxes on tobacco successfully reduces consumption. A high tax may be necessary to achieve that effect, but that would also help the government imposing the tax. There are also follow-on effects from fewer smokers: Fewer lost workdays due to illness and fewer cancer deaths. Tobacco is addictive, but when confronted with higher prices, some will quit, others will moderate their intake and fewer will begin. Very few tax increases merit my support. This one does.
— Marvin McConoughey
Cigarettes are a normal part of living for many Americans. And many people who do smoke are the least financially well off. Taking more money from poor people via a tax on tobacco is not the answer; it just hurts those people on a day-to-day basis.
Nothing ticks me off more than people who try to tell others how to live. Yes, there are health issues related to smoking, but we should have the right to live our lives the way we see fit. Too many people want to force what they consider to be "the right way to live" on others.
— Colin Yapp
Fewer people smoking is better for them and for all of us. The tobacco industry is still taking action to keep its business alive. Big Tobacco companies will lie to hide the bad effects of their products and try everything to increase the number of people hooked on them.
— Modesto Rodriguez Montes
Raising taxes on tobacco successfully reduces consumption. A high tax may be necessary to achieve that effect, but that would also help the government imposing the tax. There are also follow-on effects from fewer smokers: Fewer lost workdays due to illness and fewer cancer deaths. Tobacco is addictive, but when confronted with higher prices, some will quit, others will moderate their intake and fewer will begin. Very few tax increases merit my support. This one does.
— Marvin McConoughey
Cigarettes are a normal part of living for many Americans. And many people who do smoke are the least financially well off. Taking more money from poor people via a tax on tobacco is not the answer; it just hurts those people on a day-to-day basis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)