Jump to full article: Augusta (GA) Chronicle, 2009-10-05
Author: Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Intro: In the debate over smoking in public, many arguments have been trotted out. But for sheer simplicity, it's hard to beat good old cause-and-effect.
Research published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has drawn one of the most direct correlations yet between smoking bans and better health. Scientists examined data from more than dozen places in the United States, Canada and Europe where smoking bans had been enacted. The findings: Where smoking bans were in effect, the percentage of heart attacks dropped significantly. . . .
These people so enamored with the concept of private property are overlooking the ultimate in private property -- our own bodies.
And in the same way that we wouldn't tolerate total strangers dousing our front lawns with gasoline, we shouldn't tolerate tobacco users who nonchalantly fill our noses, throats and lungs with secondhand smoke that the Environmental Protection Agency rightly identifies as a Class A carcinogen.
Some might read this and infer that we're not on the side of smokers. But in the big scheme of things, we are on their side. We want them to live longer and to be healthier.
Jump to full article » |