Eighty national public health groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Preventative Medicine, placed a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the Washington Post in support of a federal ban on menthol in cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“The answer is clear,” the full-page ad says. “Saving lives starts by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“Smoking kills nearly half a million people in the United States each year, and these addictive, deadly products are a big part of the problem. The FDA and White House have our full support to release lifesaving rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.”

  • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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    1 year ago

    You know, I don’t really care what you smoke, but I care that it’s communal. Somebody drinking wine, beer, a white claw, etc a few feet away doesn’t immediately negatively impact my existence by depriving me of clean air … or cause a friend with breathing issues a panic attack.

    Plenty of adults “decide” to smoke for kids by smoking with the kids around.

    Plenty of adults “decide” to smoke in the entrances of buildings, on busy sidewalks, in an outdoor mall, etc.

    Plenty of adults have “decided” to smoke because it’s “safe” per some anecdote that they heard about a family member that smoked 3 packs a day and lived to be 90.

    It’s actually all pretty freaking infuriating. One of the best things that’s ever been done is banning smoking inside of most buildings.

    At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

    • stella@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      We see fewer and fewer of the adults you mention with each passing day.

      I recall as a child seeing adults smoking all the time. Now it’s a rare occurrence.

      At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

      Jesus fucking christ, you people…

      • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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        1 year ago

        https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/12/style/smoking-cigarettes-comeback.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

        Yet, in 2020, for the first time in two decades, cigarette sales increased.

        That’s not just an unsubstantiated “feeling.”

        At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

        Jesus fucking christ, you people…

        “You people” as if you know me.

        In any case, the whole point of alcohol being 21 is that by 21 A) you’re not talking to that many people who are still in high school/not yet 18 and B) you should be making better decisions.

        Which has a net effect of lowering the amount of people that engage in these behaviors, because it doesn’t spread as much in high schools.

        Now, maybe that doesn’t work as well as “we” (society) thinks, but if we still think it’s a good idea for alcohol it absolutely should apply to cigarettes and vapes. Vaping was supposed to help people stop smoking, not create a whole new problem.

        If you’re smoking cigarettes, and you’re proud or happy with that decision as an adult, you are an outlier among outliers. I can’t say I’ve ever met someone that smokes cigarettes that hasn’t tried to completely quit at least once (with the exception of the guy who believes “they’re completely safe” despite all the information to the contrary).

        This isn’t alcohol where the majority is split between people that happily consume alcohol in small quantities vs a subset of alcoholics. This is a thing where it’s universally harmful to the smoker, to the people around them, to the environment (cigarette butts), etc. It’s also much more addictive than alcohol and marijuana where people need smoke breaks. It’s just a regrettable mess from when society didn’t know better.

        • Cigarette filters are also fucking gross compared to joints, assuming you aren’t using weird fancy shit for your joints. Joint filters are rolled up paper and biodegrade rather quickly (technically the whole joint is easily biodegradable). Cigarette butts last forever.

          A friend tossed a cigarette butt into our bonfire last weekend and it turned the flames green lolol.

        • BabyWah@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Me. I never even attempted to quit smoking. I know it kills. And I want to be left alone and not harassed by other people as if they’re saving my life or something.

          It is my choice.

        • stella@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Can you read?

          The takeaway is that we don’t need further legislation against smoking. His use of the word ‘plenty’ isn’t accurate of reality.

    • At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

      FYI it has been, on a Federal level (in the US), since 2019. Donald Trump of all people on Earth signed that into law. The legal age to buy cigarettes and to buy alcohol in the US is the same, 21.

    • BabyWah@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Sorry but it’s a witch hunt at this point. And don’t get me started about drunk people wanting to grope me every time I go out.

      Where I live, every workplace has a designated area where you can smoke. Indoor smoking is forbidden.

      The drinking age here is 16, so is buying tobacco. There really aren’t that many smokers anymore. Most kids vape or smoke pot.

      Also if your friend has asthma, I don’t know, stay away from smoking people you see? It can’t be that hard.

      Also, I started smoking because I was bored. Now I keep smoking because I want to. I’ve actively stopped kids in my family from starting with it, so I’m not trying to say smoking is ok. Just leave us be.