18 Feb 2009

Should the tobacco companies take the blame for more and more people smoking? This is a very hot, very controversial topic in the United States these days. In a country where people are free to protest, free to do what they want, cigarette smoking has become excellent argument fodder for practically everyone; parents, teachers, politicians, lobbyists, doctors, smokers, and non-smokers. Everyone wants the freedom to do what they want with their own body, yet people also want to be able to make others believe what they believe. Doctors have provided excellent medical evidence on the dangers of smoking, yet smokers still buy the pack of cigarettes. Politicians have promised to toughen the cigarette laws, yet pretty much everyone who wants cigarettes can get them. Plenty of people in America are holding the tobacco companies at fault. The American people feel that tobacco companies are marketing cigarettes towards children; they feel that these companies are trying to make cigarettes more addictive. There are people who have smoked for their entire lives, get cancer or emphysema, then want to sue the tobacco companies for making them smoke. Parents are angry because they find out that their children have been smoking. Non-smokers are angry because someone smokes in a restaurant. All of these people blame the tobacco companies. The real issue at hand isn’t the tobacco companies manufacturing cigarettes; it’s the American public not taking responsibility for their actions.

Let’s start with the parents. Parents don’t want their children smoking. When they catch their child smoking, they blame plenty of people. Parents blame the schools for not teaching their children the dangers of smoking. Parents blame the teachers at the school for not noticing their child hanging around with the wrong crowd. Parents blame the gas station attendant who didn’t check for identification when their child bought cigarettes. Parents blame the tobacco companies for the way they market cigarettes and for making cigarettes so easy to obtain. Parents don’t blame their child for starting to smoke in the first place. Parents don’t blame themselves for not keeping a closer eye on their children. Parents don’t blame themselves for smoking in front of their children. It’s so much easier to put the blame on someone else. In realty, the schools do teach their students about the dangers of smoking. Teachers do notice changes in a student’s behavior, and most schools offer parent/teacher conferences so teachers can voice concerns about a child to the parents. There are laws in place that require ID checks at all places selling cigarettes. Tobacco companies are forced to list the dangers of smoking on every pack of cigarettes. Tobacco companies have also made cigarettes harder to obtain by raising the prices. “In New York, a smoker who smokes a pack a day can expect to pay roughly $3,000 a year” (Medical News Today, 2008). At that price, most children won’t be able to afford cigarettes. Some states have passed laws against underage smoking that require the children to do community service or pay fines if they are caught with cigarettes. Schools suspend students for having cigarettes on school property. The blame for children smoking should fall on the parents and on the children who smoke, not anyone else. Parents need to keep a closer eye on their children and teach them right from wrong themselves, instead of expecting others to do it. Parents need to punish their children when they are caught doing something wrong. A lot of times, parents will choose to do what is easy, as opposed to doing what it right. Take an active role in your child’s life, and they will probably turn out alright.

There are some doctors out there that put the blame on the dangers of smoking on the manufacturers of cigarettes. These doctors are correct in the sense that the cigarette companies do put addictive, harmful chemicals into there cigarettes. However, the people that choose to smoke should be the ones held responsible. Doctors have even testified in court, stating that their patient wouldn’t have gotten lung cancer had the cigarettes he smoked not been full of dangerous ingredients. How is it fair for a medical professional to not hold the reason for his patient’s poor health with the patient, when the patient had complete control over starting to smoke or not? True, the tobacco companies produce cigarettes, knowing that they are addictive. There are, however, drugs that can be prescribed to help quit smoking. There are classes people can take. Most people would rather complain about how hard it is to quit, rather than sign up for a class and put forth a little effort. The University of Florida held a class to help people quit smoking. It was open to all students and faculty, free of charge. Out of over 5,000 students and teachers, only 27 people signed up for the class. Only 17 of these 27 actually attended the class (Healthy Gators 2010, 2007). This class was promoted on television, in the campus newspaper, and school websites. People chose not to attend or sign up. The medical community puts the information and resources out there, people just don’t take advantage of it. Everyone is pretty much in agreement that smoking is a filthy, disgusting habit. The majority of smokers want to quit. These people need to man up and quit. Stop making excuses, go out and buy nicotine patches, take a smoking cessation class, do something. Don’t stand around and complain about how hard it is to quit. Take responsibility for your actions.

There have been many recent changes in the media to try and deter smoking. Cigarette smoking must be listed on movie ratings. There are countless commercials warning against the dangers of smoking and countless commercials that are trying to keep children away from cigarettes. Most schools work with the local police departments to have a D.A.R.E. program. There are plenty of things warning against smoking, yet people still do it. Non-smokers have successfully been able to petition Congress to take a stronger stand against smoking. In most states, it is illegal to smoke inside of a building, to include restaurants and bars. In Glendale, California, it is illegal to smoke within 20 feet of all government property, except for roads and sidewalks (Wikipedia.org, 2009). The laws are in place, yet people still smoke. The information is out there, yet people still smoke. No matter what information people are given, they are going to do what they want to do. The tobacco companies have been limited plenty in recent years, so maybe the problem isn’t the manufacturers of cigarettes, the problem is the consumers. It’s time to stop pointing fingers at the legal system and time to start looking in the mirror. Nobody is going to make smoking completely disappear, just accept it and move on.

There has been a lot of complaining about cigarette companies producing cigarettes that are too addictive. Of course the tobacco companies are going to manufacture an addictive product. The tobacco companies want to make money. This isn’t a very good argument with the public though. A lot of people in this country want tobacco companies shut down. Mike Moore, then attorney general of Mississippi, compared the tobacco companies to drug dealers. “All the illegal drugs in America cause 20 thousand deaths a year. All of them. Cocaine, marijuana, heroine, all of them. Tobacco kills four hundred and twenty thousand a year” (Frontline Online, 1995). This is a staggering difference, but it shouldn’t mean that cigarettes are just as bad as illegal drugs. For one thing, smoking cigarettes doesn’t get you jail time. Also, drug dealers can get sent to jail for years for selling drugs. Tobacco company presidents don’t get sent to jail for selling cigarettes. Some people feel that tobacco companies are murderers, but again, the tobacco company don’t go up to people and force the cigarettes into their mouths. It’s easy for people to blame the tobacco companies for the deaths of their loved ones, but how many people made an honest effort to get those same loved ones to quit smoking? Probably not too many. Family members and friends may have asked their loved ones to quit, they may have pleaded, but did they actually do anything? Tobacco companies can’t be held responsible for the choices of individuals in this country. If we start treating the tobacco conglomerates like drug dealers, who’s next? Will people start to blame the auto industry for every car crash? There comes a time when it is prudent to accept the fact that someone died because they made a poor choice.

It’s time for people to stand up and take responsibility for their actions. If someone smokes cigarettes and gets lung cancer, it is nobody’s fault but their own. Americans need to stop looking for an easy way out of their problems, and instead, own up to their mistakes. Until this happens, tobacco companies are going to continue to catch flak. People just need to quit complaining, suck it up, and take responsibility for their own decisions, whether it is to smoke, not paying attention to what your children are doing, or choosing to ignore a doctor’s advice. The only person that can force someone to do something is that person. Nobody else can make a choice for them.

 Works Cited
“Inside the Tobacco Deal.” Frontline Online 1995. 15 January 2009

“List of Smoking Bans in the United States.” Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia Foundation Inc.
15 January 2009

Medical News Today. 22 July 2008 Medical News Today. 15 January 2009.

“Quit Smoking Class.” 8 February 2007. Healthy Gators 2010. 14 January 2009