'The Atlantic' magazine: 'The Case Against a Smoke-Free America'

[briarfriar]

It's not every day The Atlantic publishes a piece that champions liberty. I wonder what's up.
Excerpted:
"More generally, we must stop treating smoking as pure vice. Lost in discussions of the very real problem of how to reduce deaths from smoking is an acknowledgement that tobacco has redeeming qualities, that it can be enjoyed in moderation, and that not all forms of tobacco use are equally dangerous. We can and should educate consumers about the risks of tobacco and tax it appropriately. But we should also respect the rights of consenting adults to gather in private places and decide for themselves what to ingest into their bodies. That doesn't necessitate going back to the days of smoking on airplanes, but it does require fighting back against the extreme measures sought by today's anti-smoking movement. It requires letting smokers have a few rooms of their own and not destroying the tobacco industry with excessive taxes and regulations."
Read all about it here.

 

[madmurdoc]

I think some of the snow I'm getting here has drifted down to hell. :!:

 

[judcole]

An interesting essay. Thanks for the link.

 

[lestrout]

great find here!
hp

les

 

[pitchfork]

Great read. Thanks for the link.

 

[colorduke]

Great reading material,more of that needs to be published in the good ol USA.

 

[fitzy]

Why can't more people have common sense like that author?

 

[bronxbill]

Good read!

 

[hawk60ce]

People are still lumping cigarettes in with cigars/pipes. It sure why people feel the need to control others and decide what's best for them. Of the owner of a private establishment wants to own a bar that allows smoking I see no issue. The ripple who work there can get a job somewhere else if they'd like. My B&M used to be a wine shop but with smoking bans he wasn't allowed to sell the wine anymore including just selling by the bottle and not for store consumption. It's all a joke.

 

[mluyckx]

OK, I am now second guessing that the world is indeed coming to an end 8O

 

[undermidnight]

Yes.. good read. Where is the uproar over booze? Are they looking to ban alcohol? Excessive drinking can have many causalities like second hand smoke. I admit, I love the fact that I can go into a bar and it be non-smoking. But I don't like the fact that I cannot go into a bar that allows smoking!
When I was in Germany, I walked into a bar and then when it was time to enjoy my brand new Design Berlin pipe, I got up to go outside to smoke. The bartender said there was no need, I could smoke inside. (Side note: the bartender found out it my first time to Germany and how much I enjoyed the music they were playing, he ripped a copy of the music.. Mein Gott ich vermiss Deutschland... )
Today I had my complete physical. My numbers are good (thanks to the wonders of Chemistry!! heheh) although I do need to lose weight. However, he asked if I still smoked. I explained that yes, I smoke a pipe. He was like, you are not willing to give that up? sigh..
Yes.. I smoke a pipe. In fact, lately, I smoke three times a day because this whole new world of English blends have opened up to me. I also like to drink good spirits like Scotch and Bourbon. I usually have 1 to 3 servings a day in the evening when I am relaxing watching a movie.. or playing one of my online games.. I don't drive drunk.. I don't smoke in the house because I respect my wife's wishes of not being around the smoke (although she does enjoy the smell when we are on the back porch). I drink and smoke responsibly. I don't see a problem with it.
Jason

 

[bentmike]

Yes good article. Pieces like that need to make it out into the mainstream media. I like to think there is still people out there capable of rational thought. I wonder sometimes.

 

[markw4mms]

Great read...thanks for sharing!

 

[tslex]

I'll be darned. Very good.

 

[reichenbach]

I enjoyed that article but I hope that writer doesn't get fired for siding with reason over party-line. Plus, he outed himself as a someone that enjoys tobacco; his credibility is now shot.
I'll stop snarking now. It's a filthy habit, you know.
Thanks for posting that link briarfriar, I hope that there is hope yet.

 

[mustanggt]

Nazi's of any sort are disgusting to the nth degree. Power and control are what it its all about for those high up on the food chain. Then there are the useful idiots, as Lenin refered to them, who turn their nose up at someone excersizing their Constitutional rights to Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. They are the people who brainwash our children and demonize all things they don't agree with. May they all burn in hell.

 

[sparroa]

This was the best opinion piece I've seen about tobacco in the mainstream media for a long time!
They usually object to taking a sane, balanced approach of moderation.
Reading the comments was also a laugh and a half.
One woman said that car exhaust wasn't as harmful as tobacco smoke.
A gent challenged her to sit for 12 hours in her closed garage with the car running while he smoked for 24 hours straight in his own closed garage. LOL. Who will win that battle, I wonder?!?