15 MILLION DEATHS LATER

As a health-conscious society ponders how best to spare teens from the
ravages of nicotine, these observations might be appropriate:

"Everyone agrees that education of teenagers about the dangers of
cigarette smoking will eliminate the problem in the future.

"Anyone with any sense knows that you can't impress teen-agers by
saying that smoking, or anything else, will terminate their lives at
age 55 or 60. Those ages are centuries away.

"Labelling cigarette pack-ages with modest health-hazard warnings will
alert the smoker to his danger.

"You couldn't effectively scare cigarette smokers even with the
melancholy skull and crossbones.

"Whatever the pros and cons, no parent wants his children to
smoke.

"Whatever the pros and cons, teen-agers traditionally discount
parental advice."

The author, Daniel Crowley Jr., M.D., of Des Moines, thought the issue
was timely when he submitted the list to the Journal of the Iowa
Medical Society. That was in 1965.

But today, of course - 15 million cigarette deaths later - we've wised
up. We're tired of the doubletalk, the evasive answers, the hypocrisy
of an industry that claims such concern for kids' vibrant health while
promoting their early death. Congress has gotten the message, and
Congress will act to protect our kids, regardless of all the political
contributions the tobacco industry dumps on Congress. Right, senators?

Ah ... right, senators?

Hello? Anybody home?

Checked-by: Patrick Henry