Actually the writer of the column is pointing out just how absurd the claims of this "study" really are.
The "study" claims that cell phone use is so much worse than smoking, so this columnist is using the same logic as the anti-smoker industry if it is bad for the user it must also be bad for those around them...........thus showing ridiculousness of BOTH claims.
Yea, I'm pretty sick of the anti-smoking advertising that is paid for with tax payer money here in Ohio. I think smoking is a dirty, disgusting habit. I however am disgusted by the outright lies about smoking that are being told with taxpayer funds. Not because I'm sympathetic to smokers in general, but because I believe that anyone intentionally using taxpayer dollars to lie to taxpayers should be tossed in jail and have their assets confiscated to repay those funds.
There are lots of good and truthful reasons to not smoke.
Second hand smoke has never been proved to be a serious health hazard. It is however smelly and disgusting, which I believe is why the majority has voted to ban it in restaurants in most states.
I highly suspect that most people would have voted for the smoking bands without the outrageous claims by the anti-smoking lobby, and I doubt most people even believe those claims since they are so outrageous. However, liberals just seem to think that they have to lie to people because they know what is best for them, and getting people to agree with them is far more important to them than honesty.