Even Walt Disney smoked cigarettes

Although smoking and I have a love-hate relationship on a personal level, on an educational and informational level I find the subject of smoking incredibly fascinating. Cigarette-related topics and issues are a large part of the public debate, not only because of the ill-related health effects of smoking, but also because of its entanglement in a plethora of subjects such as: celebrity (E.g. celebrities who smoke, which even includes the President!), consumerism, economics, legislation and much more. To end this rant of mine and get to the point, I am asking anyone who reads this - smoker or non-smoker - to keep an open mind about the subject, because whether we like it or not, smoking has an effect on all of our lives in some way or another.

I stumbled upon this cartoon about smoking starring the Disney character Goofy. Perhaps a tad outdated (the clip is from 1951), I nevertheless found it interesting.

Click here to watch.

The cartoon does a good job of portraying the addictive power of cigarettes. However, the cartoon seems to boast that smoking has quickly gained universal popularity and it will stay that way. Although Goofy tries to kick his dirty habit, his attempt eventually fails. Such messages might have given young children the wrong ideas - that smoking is everywhere and no matter how hard you try you can't beat it. Perhaps the cartoon is not as anti-smoking as it alludes to be, for in fact Walt Disney himself was a smoker. He died of lung cancer.

Since the surgeon general first warned about the dangers of smoking in the 1960's, smoking has evolved from a popular craze to something that the majority of society (or so it seems) finds unappealing and obtrusive. Smoking is increasingly becoming banned in public places, such as airports and restaurants. When I was at Chicago's O'Hare airport with my mother last year, we had to walk outside of the terminal to have a cigarette. I found it incredibly aggravating that I had to go outside, in the cold, only to re-enter and have to go through airport security... again, even though I was just inside the terminal literally five minutes beforehand. The things one will do to enjoy one little cigarette can be astounding.

As for banning smoking in certain places, this past April, the University of Michigan administrators made a decision to make all three of the University's campuses smoke free. Although the decision was made this past spring, the ban will not take effect until July 1, 2011. Major reasons for the ban include increasing the overall health of the University community by reducing secondhand smoke and also a hope to decrease the cost of healthcare for University faculty and staff. The University is not alone in banning smoking on its campus, simply type in "smoking ban on campus" in Google and you will see many colleges who have implemented similar policies, which according to the Michigan Daily in their article about the ban, is over 260 colleges nationwide. Since I am no longer a smoker, at least for the time being, I will admit that it is unpleasant to walk in and out of University buildings and be surrounded by the cloud of smoke emanating from the clump of smokers standing outside the door (although smokers are supposedly not allowed to smoke near the entrances of buildings). However, I think that not allowing smoking anywhere on campus infringes upon our personal rights. We as Americans have a right to smoke, even if it will lead to an eventual painful and perhaps early death. John Nothdurft also makes a good point in his blog post that such bans can be dangerous, as smokers will have to venture off-campus to smoke in more remote areas that may not be as secure as areas on campus.

From Goofy cartoons to campus wide bans on smoking, it seems that America has been trying, and continues in its attempts, to protect its youth from the harmful effects of cigarettes. Will America's youth take heed and listen to these warnings, out of choice or more so out of force, as smoking in public becomes more and more difficult? Just how far will one go to have a cigarette? As one who walked all the way outside at O'Hare airport for a single cigarette, I can guarantee you some people are willing to go pretty far.

Good decision making leads to a happier, healthier life, and please, don't smoke.

These were the words I heard every day of my high school career at the end of our morning announcements from our vice principle, Mr. Maci. At the time, I barely paid notice, due to the fact that I didn't smoke, none of my friends could smoke, and I was too young to legally buy cigarettes (until halfway through my senior year).

I started smoking after my boyfriend, Johnny, broke up with me. Johnny was a smoker. He smoked Marlboro Menthols. I cannot tell you the exact reason I started smoking; perhaps the stress of newly being single, perhaps cigarettes reminded me of Johnny (since he was ALWAYS smoking), or maybe so much exposure to second hand smoke just made the switch-over to first hand smoking virtually seamless. I started smoking the same cigarettes that Johnny had, only to soon switch over to Marlboro Lights, and the love affair began.

I started smoking at age nineteen, and for a year I continued to smoke. I worked at a restaurant as a server, which did not make my attempts to quit (which started immediately after I starting smoking) any easier. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, who works at a restaurant smokes. All I can say is that dealing with the general public at that level is no easy task.

After a year of smoking I finally bit the bullet and quit. I felt healthier and happier without cigarettes. The smell of cigarettes -something I once cherished- now made me grimace in disgust. But when I came home from college after my junior year and started to constantly hang out with a new boyfriend, Steve, an avid smoker. I fell to temptation and started smoking again.

I give you my background of smoking cigarettes to demonstrate how and why I started smoking because as of today, Tuesday September 22, the FDA has placed a ban on flavored cigarettes. I personally have never smoked flavored cigarettes, but I have smoked clove cigarettes on occasion, which are included in the ban. The ban has been put into effect in an effort to curtail America's youth from smoking: "Candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular tobacco users," said Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products in an article posted today at the Huffington Post.

My smoking saga does not include flavored cigarettes (except for an occasional clove now and then), but regardless I am not in favor of the ban. Most of the people I knew in high school who smoked cigarettes smoked Marlboro Reds, which are a much harder cigarette than something flavored like cherries. My thoughts on underage smoking is that if you're gonna do it, you're gonna do it whether the cigarette is flavored or not. As of 2007 (the 2009 survey will not be released until summer 2010), the National Youth Risk behavior survey actually showed a gradual decline in cigarette use by American high schoolers.

To end my personal story, I am currently not smoking cigarettes. My love affair has ended - at least for the time being.

Click here to read Michael Mechanic's blog post about the ban on Mother Jones.

or...

Read about the ban directly from the FDA's website.