In the Jan. 13 Tribune appears an editorial lampooning the idea of
”banning” chocolate cigarettes and Joan Beck`s column about telling young children the truth about the death of their 62-year-old grandfather, who
”died because he smoked too much.”
While ”banning” chocolate cigarettes is probably no more feasible than banning candy vending machines in schools because they can lead to dental decay, the reality is that real cigarettes are the direct cause of the death of 434,000 people in the United States and 15,846 in Illinois in a year.
There is no question that parents should be encouraged not to give their children candy cigarettes. Reminding them of this fact is not intrusion on anyone`s civil liberties. It is just good common sense and good homestyle preventive medicine.
