This article here is the most biased I read from this author - whose views I usually appreciate. Actually, the underlying assumption is that smoking is bad (as is the case in the current DOGMA).



Just quoting a few things that bothered me the most:



"Underlying these differences, however, is the larger issue: who decides the proper balance between public health and freedom of expression?"

I think this is a secondary or even a tertiary question. As an ethicist, the first question should be what is the public health's domain, and where is there place for the public intervention. Smoking is a private choice with private consequences.. while non smoking is still a private choice, but with public consequences as they oppress non smokers. The only legitimate space for public intervention is to disclose information - not change people's behaviour and culture. Once information is given through massive campaign, it becomes an individual choice. Smoking also has been studied long enough to get good information - and is not comparable to new chemicals than first need to be studied to provide good information.



how about the validity of the argument that smoking was "imposed" by the companies producing cigarettes (i.e. a forced change of behavior like the one public health tyrans -PHT- are doing) ? I don't think so. One can notice that in all or many cultures, including those very closed to autarky, there has been some smoking in a way or another. In addition, nothing prevents the PHT to do the same kind of subtle advertisement - instead of using state's monopoly on violence.



As for the argument of death rate, it's an invalid measure of the "life cost" of different factors. It's better to use the years lost (adjusted for disability). Smoking related diseases occur later in life, while other factors have a different pattern, i.e. cars rather kill young poeple.. so for one teen of 18 "loosing" 50 years of expected life, there can be 50 poeple dying one year younger at the end of their life from smoking related diseases. In addition, if poeple have descreasing marginal utility of "life", the 18 years old case is much worse.



But the worse argument in the health cost in general. As everyone knows, cigartte's price is made of 90% taxes at least (when similar taxes on junk food?). Life-long smokers pay to the state somewhere close to 100k



Not only do they contribute more, but they also alleviate costs: first point is that everyone dies at some point and will "cosume" resources related to it's death.. be seated, you ll be shocked to hear that non-smokers have a very unhealthy death as well ! The non-smoker's colon cancer will be as costly as the the smoker's lung cancer. Cancer rate is more prevalent for smoker.. but it's really not cheaper to die from Parkinson, alzheimer or diabetes which are growing exponentially now. However, smokers die younger and therefore take less resources for the pension funds, or in other word, the ration of dependant population on active population is improved (in economic terms, I recall). And now they will die even younger from pneumonia since they have to go out of all places (which is also totally wrong: the market would pick the number of smoke-free to meet the demand).

So smoker contributes a lot more than others (tax differences), they consume less resources (die younger), and in addition, they are discriminated on the basis of their believes, individual identity, and group identity.



How fair is that, Mr the ethicist?



NB: I don't usually smoke and I am not related in any way with the tabacco industry



