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For
the non-smoking majority -- by definition, those of us who are normal
-- the benefits are only fair. This is an economic decision that
affects everyone. Would you like a tax-free check paid to you
every month? A cigarette-free economy would write that cheque to you.
The
tobacco companies murdered over 10,00,000 of their best customers,
last year. Yet that number represents only the heart failure and lung
cancer cases, a fraction of the body count. Those who died weren't the
only victims. Their survivors often watched the smoker die a slow,
painful, and humiliating death. The survivors were then left to pick
up the pieces and pay the bills. This is a personal decision?
The
sheer number of illnesses any reasonable person can easily attribute
to smoking is staggering. All smokers endure an impaired capacity to
function in life. Their bodies suffer no differently from the bodies
of other drug addicts. The many cancers and circulatory problems are
the tip of the iceberg. Do you like "colds?" Do you consider
"alligator" skin, baldness, male impotence, and gum disease fun? Do
you think amputating your legs thrice in succession is an enjoyable
past-time? Then smoking is for you! That does not mean everyone around
you would like to be sick, too.
There
is no magic that makes a cigarette harmless simply because you are not
on the filter end of it. Passive smoke is no different from active
smoke. We have millions of passively smoking children in this
country. Do we really think so little of them?
Be
honest with yourself. Be honest with those who smoke on you or your
children. Make the better choice. Don’t let the drug lords control
you: Be smoke-free. |
