[thechat] Smoking in the US

[Erika Meyer]

Madhu wrote:

>I heard somewhere that cigarette smoking is on the decline in the USA. Is
>this true?

And how!  For example, smoking has been illegal in all bars and
restaurants in California since I believe Jan 1998 or 99.

I have heard that NY city recently passed a similar law?

You don't smoke in non-smokers houses anymore.  You just don't.
Smoking around your kids is really frowned upon -- as it should be.

When my Grandma was a nurse, they used to have ashtrays at their
nurse stations!  Also remember the smoking section on airplanes,
anyone?  Our local movie theater had a smoking section until the
mid-late 80's.  Now it just seems so strange to think about...

>Asia, however, continues to see more and more people smoking. Pity, really.

Unfortunately as with many things it seems like the corporations
target the easiest victims... what I mean is that smoking deaths are
on the rise still, I  believe, in women: smoking ads portray smoking
as something independent women do -- or all thru  my childhood it was
that way.  Remember Virginia Slims "You've come a long way baby"  --
those were fantastic marketing pieces I used to enjoy them as a
child, they were so cute, with the point that strong women like to
smoke.

Also children & joe camel... get them when they're vulnerable...

In the US it just isn't a socially acceptable thing anymore.  Our
public health system seems to have taken a hard stance... I'm not
really sure how that happened with all the money tobacco companies
have.  Maybe cigarettes just killed the wrong people, pissed off the
wrong relatives...

So you might say in the US there has developed a bit of a "tobacco
defense system."  If we didn't have that, I imagine we'd all be
sitting ducks for the tobacco companies.

Erika

--