Wes Smith`s commentary about ”kiddie health commandos” and their reaction to cigarette smoking shows how reluctant some adults are to accept the wisdom of the children.
Far from suffering an ”adult-imposed neurosis,” the impulse exhibited by many children (calling cigarettes a drug and openly pointing out the dangers) is much more rational than the complacent attitude with which many of us view tobacco use.
Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke suffer much more illness such as asthma, upper-airway infectious diseases, and miss about twice as many school days compared with kids from smoke-free homes. The AMA, Surgeon General, EPA and other scientific groups have concluded that passive smoke kills non-smokers, causing lung cancer and heart disease-about 50,000 deaths a year.
Cigarette companies recruit about 3,000 children each day to an addictive behavior that will kill nearly a third of them, using cartoon characters, glamour, sports and the allure of fitness and fun. It is neither neurotic, overreaching or brainwashing to educate children about a drug much more likely to kill them than cocaine. We should follow our children`s example in the case of tobacco, and call increasing attention to the tragic toll taken by smoking.
