A reader nails our sentiments on the subject:
Can you explain to meet what the goal of this new campaign is? Smoking rates in the US are about 20% right now, down from my parents generation where the rate was about 40%. So are we trying to eliminate smoking altogether? I honestly don't get it. My parents' generation at least had a real grievance against the tobacco industry for covering up the long-term health implications of smoking. I get that, and I say all the taxes, truth in labeling and money they pour into educating people not to smoke is an indication that that particular pound of flesh has been extracted.
But my generation? C'mon.
We've been told everything about it and have absorbed as much as we care to hear. At this point, cigarettes are more stigmatized than they've ever been in history. We treat cigarettes with more hostility than we treat marijuana, alcohol and obesity (ironically, all of which show increasing rates of occurrence over time).
Now, do I think that cigarette smoking is good? Not at all. But I do think it can be enjoyed by a responsible adult just like a joint, a beer and a good pizza from time to time.
So I ask again, what's the goal? Do we want 15%? 10%? 0%? Is this just a passive-aggressive way to make cigarettes illegal? Because we've already pulled all the levers on economics, education and the social and physical environment in which you are able smoke. Could it be that the remaining 20% enjoy smoking – that they don't do it "because they think it is cool" – and that perhaps a coffee and cigarette after a hard day, or a fatty meal, is the most zen-like experience that most of us have the potential to reach during a day?
The Dish 