The attached picture (please click on it for a larger version) shows the front and back of a postcard that came in the mail the other day. An attempt to convince voters that Prop 201 wastes taxpayers dollars, it panders to the fear of sex offenders and shamelessly parades schoolchildren as victims of this waste. The sponsors of this ad want you to vote against Prop 201 and for Prop 206 so smoking in public places can continue. A careful look at the small print reveals that this ad is funded by (drumroll ……) the Arizona Licensed Beverage Association and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company! Surprise, surprise.
Before you write me off as a Carrie Nation of Smoke, I used to smoke. I smoked almost two packs of cigarettes nearly every day for 19 years. The last five of those years I woke up each day, determined to quit smoking. Thanks to the generous chemical additions of the tobacco companies, I was addicted and fighting a much more serious battle than I imagined. Through constant attempts and, finally, hypnosis, I quit smoking on January 19, 1987 and have not had a cigarette since.
Quit almost 20 years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember the desire, the want, the need for a cigarette. It is an addiction in every sense of the word and you better believe the bar owners and the cigarette companies want to make sure smokers stay addicted and new smokers join the club. They don’t care about tracking sex offenders and they certainly don’t care about school children’s supplies (much less their health) – they just want to sell more alcohol and cigarettes. The taxes to which they refer are taxes on cigarettes – taxes paid by the addicts. If you don’t smoke, it isn’t coming out of your pocket.
Smokers will tell you they don’t want to quit, they enjoy smoking, so get off their backs. But that’s a lie. They are addicted and every one of them, at some level, knows they are smoking because they have to, that it’s no longer a choice for them. There is absolutely nothing good about cigarette smoking except the bottom line on the ledger for the alcohol and tobacco sellers. Please don’t let them spin your vote against Prop 201- it is NOT ridiculous. Vote FOR Prop 201 and AGAINST Prop 206.