More on Smoking

Lest anyone get me wrong, I should say that I despise smoking. I have never smoked and I never will. It has brought significant damage, and even death, to members of my family who did smoke.

I will not patronize an establishment that allows smoking, period.

So I do not view these kind of articles very happily: "Wall Street Finds a Lob to Like About Tobacco," NY Times, Jan 31.

Personally I wish all the tobacco companies went out of business tomorrow and that all smokers voluntarily quit today. Smokers may well be all quitting in the next couple of decades, in the US at least. I might well bet that in 20 years it will be very unusual to still see a smoker in the US. (If nothing else, they will probably penalize it heavily once government begins paying for all of our health care.) Internationally, though, is another problem, and that is going to be where tobacco companies make their money.

It is a vile habit and one of the most destructive legal practices allowed. But it is still legal, and people still do have a right to damage their health if they wish (we all do it in our own ways, anyway). As long as it is legal, it ought to be left alone to be handled by the private market, and left alone by meddling governments.