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BONOS_RAMA

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Would you allow your young children to smoke?

Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:28 AM EDT
health, children, car, britain, child, crash, healthy, smoking, oregon, cigarettes, smokers, smoker, anti-smoking, smokers-rights
By bonos_rama
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On another article I wrote recently about an anti-smoking campaign, a smoker wrote the following comment:

"Funny how ALL of the world's oldest people are, or were smokers. Not a non-smoker in the bunch. In fact Britain's oldest smoker just died. He was 102, and my friend's grandma just died last month at 107, also a smoker. Car crashes kill more people than smoking does! Those numbers of smoking "related" deaths you read are computer generated, not one name attached, nor can they or will they give one if one is demanded. There aren't any! Propoganda [sic] is propoganda, no matter how you come up with it. In fact, Oregon's funeral director's handbook states to list anyone who dies, even if it's a 25 yr old in a motorcycle accident, as smoking related if he smoked, or someone in his family smoked. It's all bull!"

Her comment made me wonder -- if she truly thinks smoking is healthy and not in the least bit harmful, would she allow her small children to smoke? She seems to be making the argument that smoking is responsible for people living to more than 100 years old, since she claims that none of the oldest living people are non-smokers. If she genuinely feels that smoking is "good" and gives one longevity, did she or would she allow her small children - say, under 12 years old - to smoke?

If you are a smoker, do you agree with the quote above, that cigarettes are not unhealthy and do not contribute to early deaths? If the law allowed it, would you allow your children to light up a cigarette at 3, 5, or 9 years old? If not, why not?

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bonos_rama

Keep it cool (or is that "KOOL"?). No name-calling or abusiveness. C of H will be enforced.

I just want to get a feel for how smokers and others feel about this issue. If it were legal to allow your children to smoke, and you ARE already a smoker, would you allow them to partake?

My personal feeling is that if people really felt as the woman I quoted do, they would allow kids to light up. Instead, it seems to me that even smokers tell kids it's wrong and unhealthy to smoke. My grandfather was a smoker and threatened the hell out of my mother and sisters - he forbade them from smoking. When they started smoking anyway, (I believe my mother was 9!!), and he caught them (he caught my aunt and mother smoking when they were 12 and 14) they thought he was going to kill them, he was so angry. He may have smoked, but he made no pretense at saying they were healthy or "good for you". He knew the score. Have things changed? Are many smokers like the woman above, who feels it's so good for you it allows you to live longer than non-smokers? Or do even smokers think she's blowing smoke?

  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:30 AM EDT
ERich-356044

No.

I would never allow them to smoke. Problem is that second hand smoke is pretty much the same thing as smoking. If they smoke with their kids around, their kids are smoking already.

  • 1 vote
#1.1 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:38 AM EDT
bonos_rama

That's another thought I had, ERich. That the children of smokers are already 'smoking', in a roundabout way. Growing up with a mother who smoked, I know that first-hand. I was sick as hell as a kid and have no lung-capacity. I can't run a half mile without thinking I'm going to die! Why wouldn't a smoker just let them light up - at least it wouldn't be just a tease.

I'm playing devil's advocate, of course. I don't really think people should let kids smoke, but I want to know why smokers who think smoking isn't unhealthy don't usually want their kids to smoke. (At least I hope they don't!)

  • 3 votes
#1.2 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:42 AM EDT
ERich-356044

The guilt I have over smoking near my daughter is still pretty big. She had asthma when I smoked, and when I quit, no asthma. I was going through a divorce at the time and too blind to see it. Thank goodness I have never gone back to smoking. The hardest thing I ever did was quit, but it was the best thing.

  • 2 votes
#1.3 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:50 AM EDT
bonos_rama

Good for you! I hear it is definitely the most addictive substance and therefore the hardest to quit.

  • 3 votes
#1.4 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 12:04 PM EDT
Reply
jwc2blue

The woman you cite in your most excellent article was probably one of Miss Cleo's best customers.

Not only would I never allow my children to smoke, I would never allow anyone to smoke around them.

I've been known to stick my big, fat nose where it doesn't belong by chastising other people for smoking around children, even their own!!

  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Sun Aug 15, 2010 1:50 PM EDT
zugbah-1110911

I guess I have to tell them if they insist....that what can you get out of it...is it healthy...beneficial...If they are still children, I should say no and if ever grown-ups, I would still say no..as long as they are still in my fence.

  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:15 AM EDT
Bear-2346847

The only question non smokers have to answer is why is it the oldest humans to live were smokers look it up they were all smokers. Non smokers die earlier why? If I told a lie and I believed it to be true and every human believed it was true did I tell a lie? No because everyone believes it to be true. That's what they mean when they say if a tree falls in the bush does it make a sound? So the conclusion is yes it's still a lie even if every human on earth believes it and the tree does make a sound even if no human hears it.

    Reply#4 - Sat Sep 11, 2010 11:17 AM EDT
    bonos_rama

    So you would allow your 3 or 5 year old to smoke, then? I assume so, since that was the question posed above.

    • 1 vote
    #4.1 - Sat Sep 11, 2010 12:32 PM EDT
    Bear-2346847

    I would much rather let him smoke than let him consume aspartame or anything else that man has made. We seen the introduction of man made products kill thousands pulled off the shelf and not a single person was held accountable. Wow I can't believe everyone is so foolish to believe tobacco is so dangerous. The truth is the detonation of thousands of nuclear weapons in are atmosphere needs a scapegoat and it's tobacco! And are food chain is full of dangerous man made junk or you could call it chemicals.

      #4.2 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:11 PM EDT
      bonos_rama

      So you are rightfully worried about aspartame and our food, but you are somehow not worried about the many harmful chemicals and uranium found in tobacco. So it's bad to have ingest chemicals in food, but it's good to ingest them in tobacco.

      Well, that's an interesting viewpoint. What's stopping you from giving the kids cigarettes, then?

      • 1 vote
      #4.3 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:29 PM EDT
      Reply
      Bear-2346847

      Children can't play with fire would you allow your child to make dinner no he might burn your house down. You can't run if you can't walk so no i wouldn't allow my kid to smoke until he knows how to handle fire. Uranium in the tobacco is the same found in the food chain from soil to plant transfers its found in drinking water to. Natures food is balanced for example a cup of pure orange juice has the same amount of sugar as a cup of cola but the orange juice contains all the other important nutrients and minerals to go along with the sugar cola has none. Tobacco has nicotine in it but so does tomatoes, potatoes,peppers and the list goes on. Put it this way any chemical found in tobacco is also found in fruits and vegetables we eat but its balanced by nature and also contains all essential vitamins and minerals to make a perfect balance. Every plant on earth has chemicals in it that if extracted and concentrated can kill. So i believe tobacco to be just as harmful as corn.

        Reply#5 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:09 PM EDT
        bonos_rama

        Tobacco would be "just as harmful as corn" if you didn't add all kinds of harmful chemicals to it, light it on fire, and breathe it in.

        As for the "playing with fire", that's a silly excuse. Let's say you would be right there with your kid in a fireproof room. Would you or would you not allow your 5 year old to smoke cigarettes?

          #5.1 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:12 PM EDT
          Bear-2346847

          Did you not read what i wrote all chemicals in tobacco are found in all the fruits and vegetables we consume on a daily basic but its balanced by nature containing nutrients. The oldest living people were smokers that is all the evidence you should need. If a child can't light a lighter he can't smoke!

            #5.2 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:28 PM EDT
            bonos_rama

            Yes, there are chemicals in food, but there are far MORE chemicals added to tobacco during the factory process. FAR more, and much worse. But you want to ADD to the chemicals already in your body from the food by adding the ones from cigarettes. How about this. If you think cigarettes are healthier than your food, why not just eat the cigarettes? Wouldn't that make more sense than eating food you say is no good?

            The oldest living people were smokers? LMAO. Where is your proof? And what about the people who die of emphysema at 50? I guess they don't count.

            I'm sure there are people who would claim that the oldest living people were heroin abusers, too if that was their agenda.

            Just the fact that you won't let a child smoke, but keep coming up with excuses, tells me all I need to know.

            • 1 vote
            #5.3 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:39 PM EDT
            Reply
            Bear-2346847

            You have to read what i wrote i didn't say fruits and vegetables are bad for you there balanced by nature and if people are putting deadly chemicals on tobacco that's whats deadly not the tobacco the chemicals. I think you have to re read what i wrote. And yes Jeanne Calment smoked look it up!

              Reply#6 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:09 PM EDT
              bonos_rama

              Yes, the tobacco is not what's deadly. But you don't smoke pure tobacco, do you? You smoke the crap from the factories.

              As for Jeanne Calment, never heard of him/her. But I do know my aunt's husband died at 52 after an 8 year battle with cancer; his brother died at 45, and my aunt died at 44. All cancer. For every person that happens to live long in spite of smoking, there are far more that don't.

              Nobody wants to stop you from smoking. Just don't pretend it's healthy.

                #6.1 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:30 PM EDT
                Bear-2346847

                My heart goes out to you and your family I lost family to it's a shame. So lets find the cause witch leads to the cure.

                  #6.2 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:05 PM EDT
                  bonos_rama

                  Thank you. Ditto.

                    #6.3 - Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:08 PM EDT
                    Reply
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