Article: "US Smoking rate is under 20% for first time."

The link: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSN1335828620081113?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=22&sp=true

I have to be careful on this one because I know a great many people who smoke. They're good, decent people in my opinion. They work hard, they teach their children (those of them that have children that is) the difference between right and wrong, and they try to be good Citizens. And, they smoke.

Smoking is still viewed as a "personal preference," in that we live in a free Country and those who wish to "light-up" should be able to do so.

However, this is where we run into a problem. Cigarette smoking is dangerous to health. I think that's been pretty conclusively proven.

The problem here arises from so-called "second-hand smoke." "Smoking and secondhand smoke kill 443,000 people annually from cancer, lung disease, heart disease and other causes, the CDC said. Half of all long-term smokers, especially those who start as teens, die prematurely, many in middle age.

So the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that "Smoking and secondhand smoke" kill people. Indeed, when you go to http://www.cdc.gov/ (as of this writing) this is the very first image that loads: (Screenshot)

There it is in big bold letters: "Don't Smoke" It's not just about the personal preference. If somebody wants to smoke in the safety of their own home, I believe they should be allowed to do so. Same thing with consuming alcohol. It's when people drink and drive that I have a major problem. But the same thing could be said of smoking. If you drink in a public place, such as a bar or restaurant, and somebody else drives you home; where is the harm?

You paid your bill, you had your drink(s), and somebody else drove you home. No harm, no foul. That is a personal preference and it involves only you and the person who will drive you home.

But then we come to smoking. This time it's different because of secondhand smoke. Indeed, the term "passive smoking" (aka: secondhand smoke) was actually coined in Nazi Germany!

From Wikipedia (Hyperlinks are theirs and are left intact): "The link between lung cancer and tobacco was first proven in Nazi Germany,[16][20][21] contrary to the popular belief that American and British scientists first discovered it in the 1950s.[16] The term "passive smoking" ("Passivrauchen") was coined in Nazi Germany.[2] Research projects funded by the Nazis revealed many disastrous effects of smoking on health.[22] Nazi Germany supported epidemiological research on the harmful effects of tobacco use.[1]" (the numbers are for the references at the bottom of the page. Notice also the link to "Passive Smoking." "Second hand smoke" redirects to the "passive smoking" page.

"Werner Huttig of the Nazi Party's Rassenpolitisches Amt (Office of Racial Politics) claimed that a smoking mother's breast milk contained nicotine.[18]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tobacco_movement_in_Nazi_Germany

And, as it turns out, Mr Huttig was correct. Here's an article from 4-SEPT-2007 titled "Nicotine In Breast Milk Distrupts Infants' Sleep Patterns." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904072857.htm

The point is that smoking while pregnant can harm your child. But I'm gratified to learn that smoking in the US is now on the decline.

Yes, I have my own personal reason for it. The simple truth is that I can't breathe well when or where people are smoking. I spent an hour one day fixing a neighbour's computer. Although she is a smoker, she knew I wasn't and didn't smoke while I was there. Nevertheless when I got home, everything that I had worn went into the washing machine to get rid of the smell. I retched (vomited) and then took a shower to get the smell off of me. I simply can't breathe around people who are smoking.

I took my parents to a restaurant the other day and one of the men at the bar had a pack of cigarettes out on the bar. He wasn't smoking, but had just come in from smoking. He smelled like it, too. The point, however, is that secondhand smoke is a danger to non-smokers. I do respect the rights of smokers to light-up in their homes, but not out in public would it would affect my health.

(H/T: Drudge Report, Wikipedia)