...climbing back up again...
I like to focus on solutions.
What i see is people having difficulty with cessation, many who can't afford the products available. (lucky for us we could, mk) So, it seems logical to me that those who caused the problem should help solve it. Just education is not enough. There is funding for other addiction assistance, so there should be assistance for this one too. Here in Hawaii free patches are provided for some people, and I believe that is funded in part by tobacco settlement moneies, but I think there should be a wider range of options available, and available wherever tobacco companies have wreaked their damage.
Tom, i agree that tobacco should be outlawed, and also believe that some assistance should be provided to tobacco FARMERS, not corporations, to tranisition to other use of their lands. That would take care of a large segment of new smokers, but I am concerned about the current smokers also. The corporations should be mandated to pay for the damages.
Kita,
I also agree that it is the legislators who are, in part, the key to changing things in terms of making the companies accountable. It is also the reponsibility of the judiciary to hand down judgments that addresss the harm done, not just address the marketing of cigarettes. It's clear that that hasn't made much of an impact, and the companies just move on to other markets.
Thanks for your responses everyone. I'm still wondering what I, you, and others, can do to get funding for smoking cessation products from the tobacco companies. I guess one thing is to contact whoever is making decisions about how to spend the tobacco settlement monies in each state in the U.S.
...ok, stepping down again...
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 169
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,760
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,149.20
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 23 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 2