Another week, and another inanity in the teen-smoking issue. President Clinton has announced that he is ordering an expanded federal study of the brands teens buy, in an effort to embarrass makers of the cigarettes most popular with teens.
Isn’t the purchase of cigarettes by teens illegal? While the underage smokers are filling out the questionnaire, should they then be arrested and/or fined, or should that punishment extend to the parents or the proprietor of the business where the purchase was made?
Haven’t Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man already been found guilty of being the bad guys who entice teens to smoke? If so, isn’t this survey to determine teens’ brand choices a little tardy?
The teen smokers probably wonder why no one has asked them why they smoke.
We all know the answer: peer pressure. That answer, however, doesn’t provide a “cash cow” for President Clinton’s pet programs, like the tobacco companies do.
