[FoRK] Welcome to the American Totality. You've been warned.

[Ian Andrew Bell]

On 4-Feb-08, at 9:17 AM, Jeff Bone wrote:

> The *very same* logic that justifies prohibition of smoking supports  
> this sort of thing.  And my argument is supported by the fact that I  
> predicted THIS VERY THING many times over the years in discussing  
> smoking prohibition.  If the theory is predictive, it must have some  
> validity... :-P ;-)

Oh, here we go..

The logic that is in practise used to justify the prohibition of  
smoking has much more to do with "Second Hand Smoke".  If you choose  
to eat 4 steaks a day and turn your arteries into porcelain, that is  
highly unlikely to affect the person sitting next to you, whereas your  
smoke and nicotine and tar concoction wafts through the air into the  
lungs of people around you every time you light up.

In California, New York, and most of Canada it has been public health  
departments, worker safety administrations, and insurance companies  
that have blazed the trail toward the prohibition of smoking based on  
real safety concerns.  There is very limited legislation on the books  
(New York, Ireland and the UK being notable exceptions)  to date and  
even where there has been it has always followed the path carved out  
earlier by public health and work safety.

The logic around Smoking is reasonably unique and not at all  
allegorical to Heart Disease, which is a lifestyle consideration and  
therefore not subject to legislation.

-Ian.