'Smoking is bad because the government sez so'
Several years ago I was talking to an epidemiologist who is skeptical of the idea that smokers pose a mortal threat to people in their vicinity. Although he supported workplace smoking bans,
he was frustrated by the willingness of so many anti-tobacco activists and public health officials to overlook or minimize the weakness of the scientific case that secondhand smoke causes fatal illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. He wondered when it would be possible to have a calm, rational discussion of the issue, one in which skeptics would not be automatically dismissed as tools of the tobacco industry. I suggested that such a conversation might take place once smoking bans became ubiquitous, at which point the political stakes would be lower. Judging from a
recent article in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, headlined "No Clear Link Between Passive Smoking and Lung Cancer," that conversation may have begun.
The article describes a large prospective study that "confirmed a strong association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer but found no link between the disease and secondhand smoke." The study tracked more than 76,000 women, 901 of whom eventually developed lung cancer.
Comment: The reality is, that there are many health advantages to smoking. Makes us wonder why something so beneficial would be demonized so strongly. Read the following articles to learn more:
Let's All Light Up!
5 Health Benefits of Smoking
Nicotine Lessens Symptoms Of Depression In Nonsmokers
Nicotine helps Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients
Brain Researchers: Smoking increases intelligence