Nine Days In

Monday, February 5th, 2007
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This is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. At nine days in, I am still struggling with withdrawal. It’s hard to understand why marijuana, cocaine and other such drugs are illegal, while the demon tobacco is still a legal, highly profitable business here in the U.S.

And smokers are not the only victims. Last week my granddaughter was diagnosed with what her pediatrician believes is asthma. I am so thankful that I did not smoke in the house, nor when she was around. Her Mom also quit and she is almost 3 weeks into it and doing great. My granddaughter was not exposed to smoke in her house either. But, I know if I had been smoking around her, I would feel like I wanted to slash my wrists now. Okay, maybe not that bad, but you know what I am saying. I would certainly be kicking myself over and over again.

But, my point is, if we know that the kids of smokers are being exposed to something so harmful, why is it legal? Add to that the statistics for illness in smokers, which is part of why health care costs are so high, I just don’t think that adding a dollar more per pack is enough to get people to quit. I know that a black market would probably be created as a result of illegalizing cigarettes, but I think it would go a long, long way in getting people to quit.

Do we have the right to force people to quit though? Would offering a tobacco-free alternative be an answer? Something that was not harmful to us or others and not addictive? It’s a hard call.

Anyway, back to my struggle. I’ve already had two arguments with my husband in the past nine days!! I am definitely irritable. Serves him right for saying I wasn’t going to quit, LOL!

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ABOUT THIS AUTHOR


rubyredshoes
I like the Wizard of Oz, as you can probably tell by my screen name. I love jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, cooking and most of all, reading. My favorite genres are suspense and mystery. I live in Maine but was born and raised in Philly. I have 3 grown children and 1 marvelous granddaughter who keeps me young!

  1. Tracy
    February 5th, 2007

    You definitely pose some good questions here. I think that tradition is a large part of why tobacco and alcohol remain legal, even though they both probably do much more damage each year than illegal drugs, if only because the legal drugs are more widely used. And even if tobacco were made illegal (which I can’t see happening, considering the huge amount of money to be made from selling it…), I don’t think it would necessarily help people quit. Motivation to quit has to come from the individual, but it certainly sounds like you’ve found your motivation (your family), and so I think you can definitely pull through. :)


  2. rubyredshoes
    February 6th, 2007

    I agree that it is all about money and I also agree that you have to be motivated. I actually think it would help some people though, if it was illegal. You would have to actually break the law to do it, so I think in some circumstances, for example, if people do not have health or family motivation, it could give them a reason to quit.

    Heaven knows, it’s all moot anyway. We all know the government is not about to give up the revenue it makes on smokers.


  3. meggieli
    February 7th, 2007

    It is hard to believe that something so deadly is not only legal, but also such a money maker in of all places, the United States. I’m glad my generation knows the effects second hand smoke has, and I’m thankful my little neice has not been subjected to it.
    I was thinking though… what about fast foods, soda, junk food in general? Should we put a tax on these items as well? They certainly lead to many diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Should we keep increasing taxes on these items since we know how much the cost of healthcare is after years of “abuse”? Not to mention the costs of band surgery and gastric bypass… These too are preventable causes of death/disease.


  4. rubyredshoes
    February 8th, 2007

    But, I love junk food! If you subscribe to the idea of the tax on cigarettes, I guess this makes sense too.

    There is one major difference though. Those foods can be eaten in moderate amounts without fear of causing too many health conditions. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are deadly no matter the amount . So, there really is no benefit whatsoever to cigarettes, while you can get some nutrition from snack foods. I’m glad that a lot of the junk food has been removed from school lunch programs.

    With both things though, it comes down to one thing in the end - will power. Almost anything in life can be overdone.

    Please don’t tax my Pepsi!

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