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“Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

cdc.gov

31–40 of 53 posts

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#31
post #6

Based on the references, I believe this should be tagged (2015) Also, article title is "Tobacco-Related Mortality"

Can you name any relevant "tobacco-related" activities that are not "smoking"? (Technically, it's true that the term "cigarette smoking" is too narrow. When my mother asked my father to quit cigarette smoking, he happily obliged and started stuffing a tobacco pipe instead.)

Don't know if they're "relevant" but snuff is common in certain places - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuff_(tobacco)

Edit: actually there's a full Wikipedia article on smokeless tobacco - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokeless_tobacco

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#32
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My mother is dying of lung cancer from smoking right now. Growing up, she would smoke around me despite it causing me and my sister to have asthma attacks. I think forbidding it in public spaces does not go far enough. One's right to swing their fist ends where another's nose begins.

are you saying fists should be outlawed in public spaces? I think you are, but it's ridiculous.

Swinging fists into noses [a metaphor for smoking around others without consent] should be illegal in both public and private.

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how do we balance personal liberty with respect for others? I don't know the solution but welcome the discourse. Part of the problem I think is that the people who engage in these behaviors don't care very much for themselves, let alone others. I've often wondered if people who partake in cigarette smoking have a death wish of sorts, just unable to take the fast route.

Part time smoker here, no death wish. It's an instant escape and I find the ritual enjoyable.

I think this is an important point that is often lost on people that don't smoke. So often in these discussions, smoking is assumed to have no positive effects. Strangely, most people don't take the same attitude when talking about alcohol.

Like it or not, smoking is enjoyable.

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#34

So what do we do? I don't believe in making them illegal as that infringes on others rights to choose what they put in their body, but I do feel for the kids and family members who have to put up with the habit.

Smokers infringe on my health by exposing me to second-hand smoke and forcing me to ingest nicotine, a known carcinogen. This absolutely needs to be made illegal as far as I'm concerned.

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#35

So what do we do? I don't believe in making them illegal as that infringes on others rights to choose what they put in their body, but I do feel for the kids and family members who have to put up with the habit.

Tax it to death. A pack of cigarettes should cost $20 or more in this country. Ensure that the externalized costs are included with the price and people will quit.

Just what all the dealers need - another demographic.

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#36
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, this is my personal opinion but here it goes. It's not about our rights, it's about public health. Cigarrettes should be illegal, and all the companies making these products shluld be banned. This is costing the entire world millions every month. I am a smoker. I smoke about a pack everyday. And I've tried quitting more than once, but this thing is more addictive than a lot of substances you can buy on the stre…

Have you considered switching to an e-cigrarette without the intention of quitting (which is where I think most people trip up)? I have a friend who uses a balance of nicotine in his e-cigarette that is way way more nicotine than he would ever get from a normal cigarette, he is extremely happy (and claims that the real trick is you need to not use a cheap e-cigarette but get one that nails the temperature consistentl…

"as far as we can all tell he is avoiding the horrible health effects"

No. Nicotine is a carcinogen. Forgive my surprise, but I'm absolutely blown away that this isn't common knowledge in 2017.

Edit: I appreciate the distinction that folks are making as far as what constitutes a carcinogen. Yes, the science we have today falls short of us classifying nicotine as a 'complete carcinogen'. If that makes you sleep better, then ok, but the science shows carcinogenicity in vitro, and substantial ability to promote tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence in vivo [0][1][2][3].

Your friend is also potentially exposing himself and those around him to formaldehyde and diacetyl and so on, which is present in many e-cigarette liquids.

Folks: eat healthy, get a bit of exercise, read good books, and most of all, develop relationships with people you truly trust. If you find yourself needing to rely on smoking or drinking to get you through the week, take a step back and garbage-collect your life and decide if you're living the life you want, or if it's a life that's in need of radical restructuring.

[0] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007524

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7848904

[2] http://www.mdedge.com/ccjm/article/101393/adolescent-medicin...

[3] doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-0681

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#37

So what do we do? I don't believe in making them illegal as that infringes on others rights to choose what they put in their body, but I do feel for the kids and family members who have to put up with the habit.

Smokers infringe on my health by exposing me to second-hand smoke and forcing me to ingest nicotine, a known carcinogen. This absolutely needs to be made illegal as far as I'm concerned.

While there are a lot of carcinogens associated with smoking, there doesn't seem to be a consensus that nicotine is one of them:

> Although there is insufficient evidence to classify nicotine as a carcinogen, there is an ongoing debate about whether it functions as a tumor promoter. In vitro studies have associated it with cancer, but carcinogenicity has not been demonstrated in vivo. There is inadequate research to demonstrate that nicotine is associated with cancer in humans, but there is evidence indicating possible oral, esophageal, or pancreatic cancer risks. Nicotine in the form of nicotine replacement products is less of a cancer risk than smoking. Nicotine replacement products have not been shown to be associated with cancer in the real world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Cancer

The fact that it's other compounds that are carcinogenic rather than nicotine in no way changes the effects of second-hand smoke.

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#38
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered switching to an e-cigrarette without the intention of quitting (which is where I think most people trip up)? I have a friend who uses a balance of nicotine in his e-cigarette that is way way more nicotine than he would ever get from a normal cigarette, he is extremely happy (and claims that the real trick is you need to not use a cheap e-cigarette but get one that nails the temperature consistentl…

"as far as we can all tell he is avoiding the horrible health effects" No. Nicotine is a carcinogen. Forgive my surprise, but I'm absolutely blown away that this isn't common knowledge in 2017. Edit: I appreciate the distinction that folks are making as far as what constitutes a carcinogen. Yes, the science we have today falls short of us classifying nicotine as a 'complete carcinogen'. If that makes you sleep better…

> Nicotine is a carcinogen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine says:

> Although there is insufficient evidence to classify nicotine as a carcinogen

I guess you better fix Wikipedia...

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#39

So what do we do? I don't believe in making them illegal as that infringes on others rights to choose what they put in their body, but I do feel for the kids and family members who have to put up with the habit.

> So what do we do?

Hate to be a skeptic -- or realist -- (and also risk downvotes) but here goes.

No matter what we try to do, it's looks like an Un-winnable battle. Unless Tobacco is outlawed, it's almost impossible to fight the entity known as "Big Tobacco".

They have an army of lobbyists, congressmen, senators, and all other power decision makers in their pockets, and using a combination of the above people, they get BILLS signed into LAW that legalizes a lot of things that would be otherwise be CRIMINAL, and on top of that, have very shady, but highly effecting marketing schemes and PR that they perform, to target the crowd most susceptible to succumbing to tobacco - teenagers, young adults, and (young) military men.

> AND THEN CAME THE CHRISTMAS CARDS.

> Big Tobacco sponsored, organized, and paid for thousands of service members to receive tapes with video recordings of their families back home sending sweet messages for the holidays. Seems like a super f*king nice gesture, right? Until you hear what Big Tobacco sited as their motivation for the program. “Positive publicity and goodwill associated with Marlboro,” and “awareness and visibility of Marlboro among young adult smokers.”

> Today, 38% of US military smokers start after enlisting.

Source: https://www.thetruth.com/articles/videos/exploitation-milita...

Re: “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.”

#40
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered switching to an e-cigrarette without the intention of quitting (which is where I think most people trip up)? I have a friend who uses a balance of nicotine in his e-cigarette that is way way more nicotine than he would ever get from a normal cigarette, he is extremely happy (and claims that the real trick is you need to not use a cheap e-cigarette but get one that nails the temperature consistentl…

"as far as we can all tell he is avoiding the horrible health effects" No. Nicotine is a carcinogen. Forgive my surprise, but I'm absolutely blown away that this isn't common knowledge in 2017. Edit: I appreciate the distinction that folks are making as far as what constitutes a carcinogen. Yes, the science we have today falls short of us classifying nicotine as a 'complete carcinogen'. If that makes you sleep better…

Source please.
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