SMOKING

[HONDO74]

I have often wondered what the states did with the billions of dollars they received from the tobacco company lawsuits

I was never a smoker. I don't even let my trains smoke. How about the rest of you ?

Saw this today.

Juul: US bans all products from leading vaping company
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61914166

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it did not have enough data to be sure that marketing the firm's products was "appropriate for the protection of public health".

Juul said it would challenge the move.

It comes after other recent anti-smoking efforts by the FDA, including plans to reduce the amount of addictive nicotine allowed in cigarettes.

The agency had already barred the fruity flavours that helped make Juul a phenomenon among teenagers a few years ago.

"Today's action is further progress on the FDA's commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards," FDA commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement.

Juul, founded in California in 2015 by a pair of former smokers, has promoted its vaping pods as a healthier alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

But the products, which contain high concentrations of nicotine, raised alarm as use among teens exploded, with more than quarter of high schoolers using e-cigarettes in 2019, according to a federal survey.

In 2020 the FDA said it would require companies to submit their e-cigarette products for approval. It has since granted some of them a green light.

[E7]

Easy! It's a nasty habit that will kill you, that becomes an addiction and should be prohibited (if it is not) in ALL public places. You want to smoke fine, but I don't need to breathe it.

Vaping is just another form of stupidity.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Easy! It's a nasty habit that will kill you, that becomes an addiction and should be prohibited (if it is not) in ALL public places. You want to smoke fine, but I don't need to breathe it.

Vaping is just another form of stupidity.

This was actually on the FDA's "things to do" back in 2019...........

[v8vega]

I quit in 88, yes I'm old. Back then we really smoked, a pack and a half a day. Smoked everywhere, most everyone smoked.

[up148]

My parents both smoked until after I left home. My wife has smoked since we married 45 years ago. So, I've been around second hand smoke all my life and I don't have lung cancer. emphysema or any breathing disorders.

Just saying there are much more serious problems in our society to tackle. Drug and alcohol users create some of the biggest strains on our health and insurance industries IMHO. But, since a large percentage of our country drinks and uses drugs it will never be taken to task. How many times do you read where a cigarette smoker robbed, injured or killed to support their habit. Drunk drivers and Alcoholism kills more people than cigarettes by a huge margin.

Don't care to discuss it, just relating my experience of being around smokers all my life. I know there is scientific proof to support the opposite opinion, but we've learned that so much we were told in the past is BS, why is second hand smoke harm taken as bible?

"Choose the battles you can win and ignore the rest". That's why.

[bob turner]

California liberal here. Almost nobody smoked in my peer group (aviation ,engineering, university life) in the 1970s and '80s, and almost nobody does now. Not all of my friends are California liberals, either - a small percentage are apopheniacs and anti-maskers. So it really hasn't been an issue - except for the occasional auto or house of a heavy smoker, which I avoid due to the odor (as opposed to a fear for my health).

But I line up with the libertarians here - wanna smoke, do drugs, alcohol, go unmasked, not wear a seatbelt or motocycle helmet? I think you should have that freedom, so long as it does not affect the rest of us and does not cost taxpayer $ to fix what you damage. Do not smoke in conveyances, restaurants, or other closed public places, including my hangar.

[bob turner]

I should tell you a "smoker" story - long ago smoking was allowed on airliners, including by crewmembers. I was ok with the occasional co-pilot (we called them "first officers") smoking. That's how liberal I am - the cockpit ventilation was excellent - the only truly fresh air in the entire aircraft - and we would occasionally have three pilots in the cockpit. There were ash trays.

So this guy needed a ride from Tucson to phoenix, and I signed his jumpseat request. He politely asked if he could smoke, and we said (maybe reluctantly?) yes. Swear to God, the guy proceeded to chain smoke. It is only about 20 minutes from Tucson to Phoenix in a 737, but I had to stop him midway - I am sure he was sucking those things down at a rate of one a minute. I did not know a person could suck that diligently. I am sure he did not get enough oxygen during his waking hours to sustain life. Never seen anything like it before or since.

Smoking was rare among pilots and flight attendants. Not really a problem, usually. But I still remember those outflow valves - nicotine deposits were an inch deep over a two square foot area just aft of the outflow.

I must be bored this AM.

[Neil]

One of the reasons that myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke rates are now about 80% or more reduced from the 1960s and 1970s is the decrease in smoking from 50% of the population to about 15%, give or take. The other major reason is cleaning up air pollution, although living close to a busy highway is associated with increased disease (heart and lung) and death, particularly during atmospheric events that keep air pollution near ground level.

Smoking causes a lot more disease and death still than drug addiction. Probably than alcoholism too, although it's probably close. Alcoholism in general doesn't cause heart and lung disease, which are still more common than liver disease (the major cause of alcoholism related harm and death).

Turns out that any type of inflammatory and particulate crap in the air that you breathe increases heart disease and early death. The evidence is overwhelming, including for second hand smoking.

Smoking and second hand smoke are the major causes of lung cancer nationwide and worldwide. Still a pretty terrible disease, even with advancements in treatment. Smoking also increases almost every other cancer, but lung cancer is the major effect.

[E7]

Well Neily Poo, we agree on one thing: It's a NASTY habit!