'Ban all tobacco' - US health chief

Guardian (UK) ^ | June 4, 2003 | Duncan Campbell

[Mister Magoo]

'Ban all tobacco' - US health chief

Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles Thursday June 5, 2003 The Guardian

The surgeon general of the United States, Richard Carmona, has said he would support the abolition of cigarettes and all tobacco products, the first time that such a senior public health official has taken that kind of stand over the industry. Dr Carmona's statement was welcomed yesterday by anti-smoking organisations and condemned by the tobacco industry. The Bush administration, which enjoys the support and financial backing of the tobacco industry, yesterday distanced itself from the abolition position.

The US already has some of the toughest anti-smoking legislation in the world. California has led the way. Last year it banned smoking in all areas next to playgrounds or "tot lot" areas. Similar measures are being considered nationwide.

The state, which has banned smoking in public buildings, bars and restaurants, is also considering a ban in some blocks of flats. Delaware has a similar ban. Connecticut will impose one from next April, and this week Maine moved towards a ban. New York has banned smoking in bars and restaurants.

Ordinances framed also by local councils curtailing cigarette smoking are introduced almost weekly. Santa Monica recently made it an offence, punishable by a £160 fine, to dispose of "smoking-related waste" in a public park.

There have, however, been few suggestions that tobacco should be banned altogether.

Dr Carmona made his controversial remarks while giving evidence to energy and commerce sub-committee hearings at Congress on smoking products that supposedly reduce the risk of cancer. He was asked if he would support the abolition of "all tobacco products". He said: "I would at this point, yes."

He said that he was not a legislator but that he would "support banning or abolishing tobacco products ". He saw "no need for any tobacco products in society".

One of the country's leading anti-smoking campaigners, Jeffrey Wigand, the head of Smokefree Kids, said: "I applaud him. I hope that stirs people up to do something. This would set a tremendous precedent and would have a major effect on world health."

Mr Wigand, a tobacco industry whistleblower who was portrayed by the actor Russell Crowe in the film The Insider, said it was notable that such a senior public health official was so outspoken. "There are 460,000 deaths directly attributable to tobacco in the United States every year," said Mr Wigand. "The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2015 tobacco will be killing more than 10 million a year."

He said that the US, as the leading exporter of tobacco, had a particular responsibility to regulate tobacco use.

But Dr Carmona's remarks are unlikely to lead to any radical moves by the administration. The tobacco industry is a longtime supporter of the Republican party and there have been objections by conservative and libertarian commentators to the restaurant and bar smoking bans.

The White House yesterday said that Dr Carmona's remarks represented his views as a doctor, not those of the administration, whose main focus was discouraging young people from smoking. About 45 million Americans smoke, in a population of 280 million.

Tobacco companies have changed their strategies on the issue of regulation. Philip Morris, the country's biggest tobacco company, is running adverts urging teenagers to "think, don't smoke". They argue that their products are aimed at adults and the issue is one of freedom of choice.

Cigarettes in films is the subject of one of the latest anti-smoking campaigns; the public has been urged to complain by writing to actors who smoke on screen. Tobacco firms have denied that they paid for actors to use their products in films.

[txdoda]

'Ban all tobacco' - US health chief >>>>>>>>>>>

AIN'T Happenin', chief........waaay to much revenue/lobbist dollars going to our government......loose tobacco dollars, and there might not be anything to cover their PORK spending habits, and they might have to REALLY balance their budget.

[wardaddy]

It's something...actually many things. All those countries treat pagents like a national pastime and the girls are revered and heavily sponsored....and it's a way out.

Plus...something about relatively pure Castillian bloodlines has something going for it. That DR chick is from a tiny minority of Euros in the DR (maybe 10-15%). That country at least around Santo Domingo has more "comfort girls" than anywhere I've been outside of Thailand...and that is an obvious economic and culture based issue. They export Dominican and some Colombian "comfort gals" all over the Caribbean and even to Europe from what I've observed....Aruba and Curacao and St Martin and even Haiti are full of them.

Anyhow...my wife and I had her pegged as the winner from the getgo...and Venezuela as #2. Both were awesome looking gals.

Look for the Baltic States chicks and The Czech, Croat and Hungarian, Romanian, and Serbian gals to start landing at the top pretty steady too in the coming years.

Just my 2 cents as an ex-world traveler.

[wardaddy]

lol

[wardaddy]

While we're on cigars...lol....nite!

[Mr. Mojo]

Czech girls are the prettiest on the continent, imo. Walking around Prague definitely stretches the neck muscles.

[Mr. Mojo]

Goddess-like.

No, just plain Goddess.

[Chemist_Geek]

Terrorists will get so much illegal tobacco money they won't know what to do with it all --

If I remember correctly, there were some arrests of illegal Middle Eastern immigrants in Dearborn, MI, post-September-11-2001. They were running a cigarette smuggling operation from North Carolina back to Michigan...

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Smokers, unless we start really acting up, this will be the reality. Please write, fax and phone anyone you can think of and object to this moron's diatribe. Don't forget the White House while you're at it. Enough is enough.

[Ken H]

If alcohol is any indicator, it will take a constitutional amendment to ban it since it has the same prevalence in society. I would bet they would try to pass a regular law, however, given that they care nothing about right or wrong or the rule of law and the ends justify the means no matter what.

I think the FDA could just declare tobacco a drug and make it a schedule I.

IOW, Congress has already delegated probationary authority to the Executive branch.

Mr Leroy, is this correct?

[MrLeRoy]

I don't know. I seem to recall Klintoon's FDA chief making noises about assuming jurisdiction over tobacco---but obviously nothing came of that.

[MrLeRoy]

Wod_list ping

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[MrLeRoy]

We have an ineffective and very expensive war of drugs. Now we can look forward to an effective and very expensive war on tobacco.

Interesting that none of the usual pro-WODdies have shown up to deny that the War On Tobacco is a logical offshoot of the War On Some Drugs.

[jmc813]

Thoughts?

[jjm2111]

What's this prohibition three? Why doesn't the government mandate that we brush our teeth after every meal?

[MrLeRoy]

They're still working on dictating what we must not do---dictating what we must do comes later.

[Just another Joe]

PUFF!
FMCDH

[Cultural Jihad]

Thoughts?

There is nothing inherently immoral about using tobacco products.

[jmc813]

Should they ban it?

[jjm2111]

"---dictating what we must do comes later. " I can't wait.