Black People : Why Are Cigarettes Legal?

[Destee]

Hello Family,

Why are cigarettes still legal, when they try to make it appear as though they care about us ... claiming to test drugs for safety, making some illegal.

It is not disputed by anyone that cigarettes are harmful to our health ... so why are they still legal to buy and sell?



Destee

 

[SpiritualONE]

Because hypocrisy knows no limits in this wicked nation.

 

[queentswana]

that's a good question...
you might also ask:

1. why is cocaine legal ?
and contrary to what anyone thinks...it's legal. Police ride the streets every day, see us buy and sell on a daily basic...and they turn a blind eye. why? because they get PAID.

2. why is cough syrup legal ?
I can remember the times (even now) when the drug store would have to restock 'robitussen, vick's 44 and several other cough syrups 4-5 times a week. people was/is drinking it down like water. who has that many colds in one week? but they don't enquire about it, why? because they get PAID.

there are countless of things that are sold to us everyday that is indeed killing us even quicker than cigarettes. and like cigarettes and everything else when it comes to the old "dollar bill" humanity takes wings and fly.
but that's just my opinion

 

[Queenie]

queenstwana, excellent points and let's add cow's milk to your list of things being sold every day that aren't good for us to consume. I would even question the quality of air we breathe and the water we drink thanks to manufacturing companies and the car industry.

Do you think there is a scale scientists use to measure and set "safe" ranges to consume products without instant death resulting? I'm sure test results show long term effects are harmful when exposed to certain conditions and maybe the Food and Drug Administration willfully engages in misleading advertisements to fool the public into thinking it's okay so that companies that manufacture certain products can make their profit and hope no one finds out. I recall reading an article some years ago written by a heart specialist who wrote that if people really knew what eating ice cream does to the arteries in the heart, they wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. But think about what not eating ice cream would do to companies that manufacture the product.

Now I know this might have been a frivolous claim, but what about the person that tried to sue McDonald's for making them obese and developing serious health problems as a result. She claimed fast food companies should have a "warning" label on their packaging similar to what appears on cigarette packs because to consume it could be hazardous to your health.

Look at the tobacco industry and what happened here in America. And you know what? I saw a report that claimed that when Americans started suing tobacco companies for wrongful death claims, they diverted their interests to international markets and increased their sales by targeting Asians who are known to be heavy smokers. At the same time, appearing to be sympathetic with the American consumer by launching their "be aware when you smoke" publicity campaign. Money makes some people lose their minds, doesn't it?

Queenie

 

[Alkebulan]

thought provoking topic

hi sister destee :spin:

u pose an interesting ?, 1 which can b addressed on many levels. i'm going 2 direct most of my comments 2 a couple which i didn't c mentioned yet n ur discussion.

gov regulation, how much is enuf?

part of the issue of legality revolves around the ? of gov intervention & how much ur willing 2 tolerate. almost everyday we engage n activities that place our health, spirituality, & emotional stability n jepardy 2 some xtent. stop & think about all the activities u perform n 1 week which involve some risk/danger? how much invasion of ur privacy, or individual rights r u willing 2 sacrifice for their reduction or elimination? a study by the national highway commission n 2002 suggested highway fatalities could b reduced by 20% f highway traffic was reduced by 1/3rd, or, 15% f speed limits were lowered to 45 mph, yet, no changes were implemented. y? b/c no political mechanism existed 2 introduce those measures w/o subsequent political castration.

think about the traffic load reduction 4 a moment. wld u b willing 2 wait at a highway entrance where a gate would only lift 2 admit 1 car, each time another vehicle over the designated stretch of highway exited? by waiting u wld b helping 2 save lives, possibly including ur own. as 4 speed limits, there hv been more attempts 2 raise the speed limit than lower it, & those attempts hv been, n spite of documentation of the dangers, on the whole, more successful as well. i mention this only as an example.

good health, who's responsible?

i sure hate u had 2 mention that about ice cream sister queen, just when i got my freezer packed w the stuff! get my lawyer on the phone, lol. i'm prob going 2 step on a lot of toes by saying this (won't b the 1st time), but, when it comes 2 safeguarding ur health, it's on u. i don't think it comes as a surprise 2 any1 that there is an inexhaustable supply of harmful substances commonly available, which would b prudent 2 avoid, or at least reduce the ingestion of. but isn't it also tru, that many of us hv chosen a lifestyle laiden w detriments 2 our health & well being? what % of the population wld u guess engages in vigorous cardio oriented wkouts for 30 min or more, 4 - 5 times a wk? how many ppl do u believe spend 1/5 of the time they spend watching tv, planning out a week's worth of healthy meals 4 the family or themselves?

ur right 2 ? the logic of leaving ciggarettes legal, but what other consumables or activities shld we also make illegal? ingestion of alcohol might take a little longer, but immoderate consumption over years has killed a segment of the population. did u know that, statistically at least, swimming is the most dangerous sport n the world? more ppl die from drowning each year than perish from participation in any other recreational activity. there r certain positions 4 coitus that make cramping, internal bleeding, and soft tissue injury more likely than not. since this is a pg site, i won't devulge the assorted injuries i hv 1st hand knowledge of resulting from the use/misuse of certain adult 'toys'.

obviously, i'm jus scratching the surface here. the bottom line 4 me, & no, i'm not a smoker & nvr hv been, is, the gov's nose is already much 2 far up my u kno what already. legislation will nvr substitute 4 intelligent moderation.

nice discussion topic