Let me start by saying I'm not a smoker, at least not of cigarettes (though I haven't smoked anything else in years either)... But I am also not a fan of injustice. And the NY Times article Senate Votes for F.D.A. Rules on Tobacco inspired me to break my attempt to set the world record for longest time spent without updating one's own blog... Thanks a lot NY Times!
Anyway, according to the article, everyone is suddenly discovering that not only is tobacco dangerous, but apparently we the American public are HELPLESS to defend ourselves against it. So after years of legistlation, the Senate finally passes a bill to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco.
What exactly are they going to "regulate"? Tobacco crops to make sure they are run in a santiary fashion? I'd say the flame at the end of the cigarette should be enough to kill anything unsanitary. Except of course, all the chemicals that will eventually kill us but HEY, that's what smoking's all about!
But no, they're not regulating the tobacco, they're regulating the MARKETING, restricting ads to black and white text only, and forcing tobacco companies to put EVEN LARGER health warnings on the packages.
Do they really expect that to work? It already says the damn things will kill you, RIGHT THERE ON THE BOX. Hell, the FDA could mandate that cigarettes must be sold along with some jerk to follow you around saying "you know, those things will give you cancer" every time you light up. PEOPLE DON'T CARE.
And banning flavored cigarettes? That's the only good thing cigarettes have going for them! You may as well try and tell Hummer to "stop making your vehicles so damn big already." If I'm ever inclined to have a cigarette, you can bet I'm gonna buy the sissiest one that tastes like strawberries. or pizza. they have those, right?
Why does this country keep trying to legislate morality? Sure people die from smoking every day, but people die from everything these days! Did you know that if you wait around a good 80 or 90 years, you'll just die, FOR NO REASON?! What are they gonna do, make a law against getting old?
If people want to smoke, let them smoke. If you're upset about douchebags smoking in public areas or assholes smoking around their kids, maybe we'd be better off passing a law against douchebags and assholes. Cigarettes doesn't seem to be killing them fast enough, especially when we keep trying to make it illegal...