by Art Dow

Created on: October 28, 2008   Last Updated: November 04, 2008

I think the laws are not strict enough on smokers, we all are aware that second hand smoke kills, there are designated places in public where smokers can congregate and smoke without the regard for people passing by. If I took a weapon such as a knife or gun and attacked someone which resulted in injury, I would be arrested for attempted murder. I think if a smoker chose to smoke in public with innocent people passing by, that smoker is fully aware they are putting peoples lives in danger, only their weapon of choice happens to be a cigarette. If you interpret the law literally, an attempt to knowingly inflict bodily harm with a weapon is attempted murder. The laws in this country are archaic and do not reflect the times in which we live in, our Supreme Court would consider a law likes this "cruel and unusual punishment" or punishment that doesn't fit the crime, I call it justice.

The number of smoking related deaths each year dwarfs all other deaths reported by actuaries, not to mention the billions of dollars taken from our economy because of lost wages, hospital stays, fires, and producitve tax paying people like me having their life cut short because of the disregard of people smoking in our space. The cigarette industry has proven to everyone including the Supreme Court that they are very wealthy and powerful because all the multi-billion dollar law suits against them are being over turned one-by-one. California has some of the strictest no smoking laws in the nation, why can't other States put the gavel down like California and pass strict enforceable no smoking laws?

I think non smoking Americans have got to unite and force our legislators to view smoking as a deadly epidemic and impose laws and taxes so harsh that the cigarette industry can no longer operate under these laws or profit from the sell of cigarettes. So how do we do this, how does your non smoking American get the attention of his/her State representative, a national website should be set up by the AMA, American Medical Association, this website should deliver a message on the adverse effects smoking is having on our society, especially second hand smoke, the website should also show the viewer the number of smoking related deaths in their State and how much in annual revenue smokers are costing their State.

To take it a step further, there should be a pre-written letter the viewer can submit to their State representative telling them this is an issue that demands attention now, and they should examine the California no smoking laws and start legislation to enact those laws in their State. I think if a State representative is overwhelmed with this pre-written letter from their local citizens, before election time rolls around, they would have, or should have gathers all the facts on the California laws to take to Washington. Early on I mentioned taxes, our government can tax the cigarette companies out of business, statistics show that the current taxes on cigarettes have caused thousands of people to quit, so if the average pack of cigarettes cost $5.00, and the tax was $5.00, most people would find that ridiculous and force themselves to quit, the ones that continue will help their cities and States to generate tax revenue for schools, highway repair and other infrastructure needs. So maybe another solution is for cities and State government to choke the cigarette industry to death with taxes, it's only fitting, they are choking us to death.

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