Spring Break
Fuming Mad
By: Ian McPhail
Issue date: 7/2/09 Section: Opinion
This is only the first step in creating a nationally mandated cigarette so disgusting to the taste that the majority of smokers are coerced to quit.
Any adult who has made the decision to smoke deserve to inhale the flavor of his or her choosing, regardless of the possible effects it may have on soliciting first-time smokers. The fact is that more teens make the decision to smoke based on peer pressure than the pleasant taste of a smoke.
But facts are unimportant to the anti-tobacco lobbyists, who want to eliminate the words "light" and "mild" from cigarettes because they might confuse buyers on the dangers of the product, which now will be printed in larger type on the label. Continually ignored is the fact that smokers know the risks involved with tobacco, and the meaning of the word "light," and simply do not need the government to be involved in making our choice for us.
Tobacco opponents pretend that smokers are too stupid to make better decisions about their health, after being tricked into addiction by an evil cigarette company. This position is wildly inaccurate; enough has been done to educate Americans on the adverse affects of tobacco to ensure every adult knows the risks involved in tobacco.
Adults who decide to ignore consequences to their health without harming others should be allowed to enjoy the cigarette of their choosing without interference from the government. Just as the FDA does not alter the taste of foods that damage heart health in order to protect us against cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 killer in America - so too should it not deny citizens the right to make any other educated decision about our own bodies.
The current powers held by the FDA serve no purpose other than stopping smoking at any cost, which is closer to fascism than freedom.
Ian McPhail is a sophomore history major.
Any adult who has made the decision to smoke deserve to inhale the flavor of his or her choosing, regardless of the possible effects it may have on soliciting first-time smokers. The fact is that more teens make the decision to smoke based on peer pressure than the pleasant taste of a smoke.
But facts are unimportant to the anti-tobacco lobbyists, who want to eliminate the words "light" and "mild" from cigarettes because they might confuse buyers on the dangers of the product, which now will be printed in larger type on the label. Continually ignored is the fact that smokers know the risks involved with tobacco, and the meaning of the word "light," and simply do not need the government to be involved in making our choice for us.
Tobacco opponents pretend that smokers are too stupid to make better decisions about their health, after being tricked into addiction by an evil cigarette company. This position is wildly inaccurate; enough has been done to educate Americans on the adverse affects of tobacco to ensure every adult knows the risks involved in tobacco.
Adults who decide to ignore consequences to their health without harming others should be allowed to enjoy the cigarette of their choosing without interference from the government. Just as the FDA does not alter the taste of foods that damage heart health in order to protect us against cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 killer in America - so too should it not deny citizens the right to make any other educated decision about our own bodies.
The current powers held by the FDA serve no purpose other than stopping smoking at any cost, which is closer to fascism than freedom.
Ian McPhail is a sophomore history major.
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