Wednesday 11 March 2009

National No Smoking Day




To day is national no smoking day. You can blame this chap with the beard if you like, for being the first to introduce tobacco to Britain. Smoking causes fierce debates between its advocates and its opponents. Historically, smoking was glamorized by the film industry and associated with sex; the tobacco industry probably benefitted from the free publicity. Smokers in 2009 are treated like social deviants, forced to brave the freezing cold and gusting winds to exhibit their addiction to public scrutiny. At least non-smokers and ex-smokers are not forced to inhale unwanted smoke in confined spaces any more, so it seems a reasonable compromise.
According to ‘Newsround’ 450 children a day start smoking in Britain, and one in five fifteen year olds smokes.
Smoking is not ‘bad’ as such. Everyone knows it is unhealthy; choosing to smoke or not is a personal decision.






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