Evidently the government is requiring additional warning labels on cigarette packages, including photos of what years of smoking can do to a mouth and teeth, rotted out lungs, a pic of a coffin with a body in it, a dead body with a toe tag, etc.
Then they took a short man-on-the-street poll to see what smokers and non-smokers alike thought of the newly required labeling (which is supposed to show up within two years).
One woman, with her hoarse voice, croaked out that she chooses to smoke and that the government has no business trying to make that choice for her.
I agree, absolutely.
But lady, don't try to come back against the tobacco company with a lawsuit or ask the taxpayer to pick up the tab when you're in the hospital with one of the many possible consequences of smoking.
Just sayin'.
15 comments:
YEA! You tell 'em Judy! LOL I used to smoke.. quit cold turkey 5 years ago.. haven't even craved them since. But I was one of the strange ones, I knew that no one was forcing me to smoke, it was my choice.....I knew the risks...I read the labels...People are just idiots and never want to accept responsibility for their actions. It's always easier to blame someone else! Great post!
I agree, if you make a choice you need to deal with the consequences of that choice.
I thought "it's friday, hey i'll have a look at Judy's blog as there'll be some nice countryside or tourist post from the United States or Yorkshire !! " .... wrong !
Even though I wasn't expecting this, it's an important message. I work at the sharp end ( literally) and see first hand the results of this activity. If it wasn't for the over indulgence or personal abuse of tobacco, alcohol and food, I might be out of a job. Then again we could spend more time on other less urgent issues that have been sidelined but still cause patients other discomfort. The UK government has done something about the first, trying to do something with the second and it seems that food hero Jamie Oliver is focused single handedly on tackling the third one. That leaves the promotion of good exercise.... which reminds me, I need to close this lap top and go outside for a walk !! Have a great weekend, J
I feel that way about motorcycle helmets, too. Don't wear one, but don't sue anyone when your injuries are worse than they might otherwise have been. Sermon done.
I am a non-smokers' rights advocate of long, long standing; and my son smokes ... oy! He admits he chooses to do it, he knows the risks; of course, it's all theory to him because no one ever thinks it will REALLY be them gasping for breath, having portions of their cancerous lungs cut out, etc. All the warnings in the universe aren't going to change behaviors. And no one should be suing who started smoking after the Surgeon General's report of 1964. Before that? Well, you'd have to show me how many times you went to a cessation group or tried Nicotrol and the addiction won. After that? You made your choice with full knowledge, now suffer the consequences for your foolishness ....
I don't think that labels will help people quit smoking. Everyone knows it's bad for you. The only that that works for me is knowing that I could die and won't be there to see my kids live their lives.
You can't sue the tobacco companies. It's outrageous. Our entire country is completely lawsuit insane. You know smoking is bad. It kills you. Don't blame it on someone else. Anyone under the age of 40 knows that without a doubt SMOKING WILL KILL YOU someday. So don't start.
Of course I was young and stupid once too. But now I am very mature :) so I don't smoke anymore....but I do still crave those evil little monsters.
I quit smoking 10 years ago. I wasn't moved to quit by labels or warnings. I quit when my adorable father was diagnosed with smoking related lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain. I didn't want my children to have to go through the pain of watching me die senselessly. It took me chewing nicotine gum and wearing the nicotine patch and about 18 months to be completely free of all nicotine. What most label makers don't understand is that once you become addicted, trying to quit is like trying to tell someone that even though you are starving, just don't eat. The hunger is all consuming. That is why so many people fail. I can't for the life of me understand why the cure isn't free and cigarettes aren't $10 a pack to subsidize it. By the way, I still crave cigarettes on occasion and if I live to see 90, I want a carton for my birthday!
There were labels like that in one of the international airports we visited years back. It was good humor for us, but probably didn't do much to effect someone's choice... I'm with you. :)
You are right! I do not have a problem with someone else smoking, but I do not want it around me, and if that is their choice then they should accept the consequences and not blame the tobacco companies. This makes me think about the McDonalds situation when the lady sued because the coffee was too hot. I like my coffee hot! I hope you have a great weekend!
Mama Hen
It's been interesting reading your responses to this post. Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. I applaud those of you who are former smokers!! I'm obviously not the only one who has strong opinions on this subject! :-)
LIKE!!!!!
I am a smoker for almost 1 year and it's not that easy to quit. By reading the label of the cig box, it won't help and that's the fact. WEll good editorial. It opens a lot of reality
Judy, I grew up with two chain-smoking parents and decided at the age of 4 (maybe earlier, but I have a distinct memory of it at age 4) that I would never smoke and I would never allow anyone to smoke in my home, in my car or in my space! I always tried to get my parents to quit (my father did eventually) and told my mother I would be the one who would have to take care of her when she was dying of lung cancer. Sorry to say, that prophecy came true when she was only 64. Her sisters who had never smoked lived well into their 90's.
My husband just reminded me that 'if there were any other single product that caused over 400,000 premature deaths a year in the U.S., you better believe the government would call it a 'deadly poison' and ban it. However, the federal, state, and local governments collect billions of dollars in tax revenue from tobacco sales. So we take it with a grain of salt that the government would like people to stop smoking.' As usual, follow the money.
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