[Smokin' Joe]

Actually the greatest reason making outlandish claims about the harm a substance does is that it diverts resources from other areas where they might be put to better use.

If every dime sent to propagate the lies of the tobacco control people had been spent doing basic cancer research instead, who knows what might have resulted?

Causes might be moot, for there might be a cure.

Instead, treasure greater than the net worth of small notions is pi$$ed away in drives for ever increasingly encroaching legislation, regardless of whether the point of diminishing returen was passed long ago or not.

We all get ripped off, smoker and non smoker alike when fundamental liberties are taken away by an increasingly intrusive government, but that sting is intensified when this is done under false pretenses.

Sadly, under it all, it is not about tobacco, but control. The methodology learned in this venue will be readily applied in others.

[ladyinred]

Brilliant Smokin' Joe! Well done.

I tend to think that in Calif. where I live, they will never completely ban smoking because they are drunk on the money they are taking in with their scare campaign. They lied about what they would do with it, but nobody seems to care since they so demonized smokers.