Polite Dissent

9 Responses to “ Great American Smokeout 2006 ”

1. mike.
   November 16th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
   

   I am a smoker. Light (one or two sticks a day, depending on the kind of day I’m having, zero if I’m feeling ill), but for nearly 15 years now. My question is: how do we get people to stop smoking? Obviously, pushing the health message is not working, as I don’t think there is a person alive who is unaware of how harmful they are, and anyway those “Truth” ads just come off as sanctimonious and preachy and just make me want to smoke more, for spite. The smoking-isn’t-cool ads don’t work, because who else but a 12 year-old would smoke just because they thought it was “cool”? (Though, to be fair, those ads WERE targetted towards 12 year-olds). Lastly, the tobacco-companies-are-tricking-you ads don’t work because all of us, on some level, realize that ALL the big corporations are fooling us, whether they be media, car companies, McDonalds, Starbucks, what have you. So…how do we get people to stop smoking?

2. Karl (Bens friend)
   November 17th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
   

   I don’t know how big an impact these ideas would have, but I’m thinking it’d be bigger than none.

   First, gradually raise the minimum smoking age to 21 over a 3 year period.

   (Maybe even just keep raising it one year at a time after that until the minimum smoking age is 100.)

   I believe studies show that the older you get without starting smoking, the less likely you are to ever start. Somehow, the tobacco companies that swear their not trying to recruit new smokers will find a reason to be opposed to that.

   Second, the first point is useless unless you make the penalties for underage smoking painful and real (and enforce them): Mandatory community service, suspension of driving privileges, etc.

   Would these have a major impact? I don’t know, but isn’t any impact better than none?

3. Karl (Bens friend)
   November 17th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
   

   Scott, what about the reports that have found the radioactive isotopes of Lead-210 and Polonium-210 in cigarette smoke? Are these reports credible?

4. Francois Tremblay
   November 17th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
   

   Well, the second you start posting anti-smoking nonsense is the second I stop reading this blog. Twas nice knowing you.

5. Scott
   November 17th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
   Official Comment

   I’ve been posting this on my blog all along, every year, on the Great American Smokeout.

6. Gordon
   November 18th, 2006 at 10:02 pm
   

   Given the fact that approximately 80% of Americans don’t smoke, I say…this is probably the world’s first smoke free blog.

   As chair of the local tobacco control coalition, I give this my stamp of approval. Remind me to have an invite to our next meeting mailed to you.

7. Really likes Batman Better
   November 19th, 2006 at 7:14 am
   

   Scott - thanks so much for posting this again.

   I am a market researcher working on oncology drugs (and I went to Virgina Tech) so I love the photo from the Roanoke paper

8. Chance
   November 19th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
   

   Scott,

   I am outraged that you have the sheer effrontery to post facts on your blog — but not just any facts: facts that I don’t want to hear. This is the last you’ll be seeing of me! See if I pay my bill!

   Just kidding. The above paragraph was satire. Some people sure are touchy *cough*francoistremblay*cough*

9. Scott
   November 20th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
   Official Comment

   RlBB,
   I used to live in Blacksburg (second through seventh grade) and I remember considering Roanoke “The Big City.”

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