Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: "Hey buddy, you got a smoke?" 

"Clearly, we've hit a wall in reducing adult smoking," a spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told the Associated Press.

If that's the case, it is not for lack of trying. New laws and taxes -- the state cigarette tax rose again this year in New Jersey -- have made smoking more difficult and more expensive. Obviously, people should stop practicing a habit that is a definite health hazard, but there is only so much the government can do. Hopefully, the recent rise in smoking will prove to be an anomaly.

On Thursday of this week, the American Cancer Society-sponsored "Great American Smokeout" takes place. Sure, this is a gimmick, but if it encourages more people to eschew tobacco use, it is a good thing.

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