July 18, 2007
Wednesday PM

It's interesting reading all the SITNEWS letters from folks claiming a right to blow their cigarette smoke in my face.

Reminds me of the good old days when cigarette companies promoted their products as having health benefits for asthmatics and sufferers of tuberculosis.

Speaking of "blowing smoke," it's good to see there are so many local "experts" who have the facts to contradict those big bad national health organizations which are crying wolf on the "dangers" of second hand smoke.

Maybe y'all should send your scientific "research" on to Philip Morris. I'm sure that if the world's second largest tobacco producer had even the itsy bitsy teeniest scintilla of evidence exhonerating second hand smoke it wouldn't have the following on its Website:

"Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke or ETS, is a combination of the smoke coming from the lit end of a cigarette plus the smoke exhaled by a person smoking.

Public health officials have concluded that secondhand smoke from cigarettes causes disease, including lung cancer and heart disease, in non-smoking adults, as well as causes conditions in children such as asthma, respiratory infections, cough, wheeze, otitis media (middle ear infection) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In addition, public health officials have concluded that secondhand smoke can exacerbate adult asthma and cause eye, throat and nasal irritation.

PM USA believes that the public should be guided by the conclusions of public health officials regarding the health effects of secondhand smoke in deciding whether to be in places where secondhand smoke is present, or if they are smokers, when and where to smoke around others. Particular care should be exercised where children are concerned, and adults should avoid smoking around them.

We also believe that the conclusions of public health officials concerning environmental tobacco smoke are sufficient to warrant measures that regulate smoking in public places. We also believe that where smoking is permitted, the government should require the posting of warning notices that communicate public health officials' conclusions that secondhand smoke causes disease in non-smokers. "

Philip Morris has obviously "come a long way, baby."

Maybe you should too.

Dave Kiffer
Ketchikan, Alaska

Received July 17, 2007 - Published July 18, 2007

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