To the Editor:

Regarding

June 15, 2017:

Kudos to hospital CEOs Kimberly Boynton, Leslie Paul Luke and Steven Scott for once again pointing out the dangers and costs of smoking.

I can't help but shake my head when folks and states who support recreational marijuana try to defend its use. Medicinal pot is not the focus here, but we've spent decades and billions trying to educate young people about the dangers of inhaling that cigarette, yet we turn around and brilliantly defend smoking that joint.

Annual health care costs in New York caused by smoking are $10+ billion. We've gone one step forward and 10 billion back.

G. Majka

Syracuse