Not even if you got ‘em

by Esther J. Cepeda

“Pregunta del Dia” translates into Question of the day and today’s comes from a loyal reader who lives out in cyberspace, J.O. who asks:

Q. You’re not a smoker, are you?

A. Let’s put it this way, J.O., I am not addicted to nicotine. And I don’t like the stinky smell. And the only time I buy cigarettes its to give to my friends…who share.

Smoking isn’t good for you but business gets done on a smoke break, and much like you wouldn’t have a business lunch with someone and then refuse to eat, well, let’s just say I don’t mind puffing every now and then.

That said, the pressure to do so has gone down significantly. The no-indoor-smoking laws have made for fewer opportunities to feel pressured to light up.

The Associated Press recently reported that a Massachusetts study has linked the indoor smoking bans to reduced smoking in teens age 12-17. “Youths who lived in towns with strict bans were 40% less likely to become regular smokers than those in communities with no bans or weak ones,” according to an article in May’s issue of the archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

We can make a few assumptions and take it farther, will the number of pre-teens who never take up the habit skyrocket?  Will the number of smokers who quit and never take up the habit again rise and stay steady? Will the smoking ban craze catch on everywhere? Maybe.

While that may not be good news for smokers who have to brave the fierce elements, but its wonderful news for the cost burden on our health care system and group insurance premiums in the coming decades. A worthy trade, I think!

send your preguntas to questions@pregunta-del-dia.com 

Esther J. Cepeda writes the “600 Words” & “Pregunta del Dia” columns, and is also a Director at the Chicago-based United Neighborhood Organization. Her reporting and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of UNO. “600 words” is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com