SMOKING BANS & SECONDHAND SMOKE SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

THE DOCTOR IS IN
________________

LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine claims secondhand smoke is an immediate threat to your life. It states that where smoking bans are in effect the heart attack rate fell. and that smoking bans do not affect loss of business in restaurants, taverns, casinos, etc.,further the report states there is no safe level for secondhand smoke.

I totally disagree with both premises. There have been studies pro and con regarding secondhand smoke. The subject is still very controversial. As to loss of business because of smoking bans the report fails to mention that such bans has caused business profits to drop as much as fifty percent and in many instances fifty percent of the employees had to be laid off while other businesses had to actually close and shut down operations. The point being that some of these alleged scientific reports only put their own spin on the materials they expound on.

Right now in Las Vegas casino profits are down as much as twenty percent. I admit it is not only because of the smoking ban but it has been reported that since many of the tourists and locals cannot eat, drink gamble and smoke at the places of their choice it is a very large part and one of the reasons these losses are being sustained by restaurants, taverns, bars, and casinos. For a state that supposedly caters to adults and is known as sin city the nanny attitude of the legislators and politicians and their failure to allow freedom of choice will continue to hurt the state.


Now! Lets look at what may prevent heart attacks other than secondhand smoke. If a person over indulges in eating pies, cakes, burgers, drinking alcohol breathing in the daily polluted everyday air from traffic and in their home, stress from a job, a persons lifestyle and yes, taking many of the current medications on the market today can cause heart attacks "and" strokes and that is just a fraction of things that can cause heart attacks.

Carrying the simplistic logic of this self serving study to a conclusion - -if, the government also bans fat foods and desserts, bans driving automobiles from the road, and prohibits alcohol consumption that too will cut down on heart attack risk. And, that is true. Removing all of these items from a persons life will also reduce the heart attack rate. But, do we really want that?

How far will this silly political correct thinking take us. People, most anything a person does to improve their diet, nutrition, lifestyle by using common sense can help them avoid a heart attack. It appears some of these organizations choose to write up political correct, self serving studies to either get published or funded by the government and private institutions. They tend to choose a subject that is controversial and then spin it to fit their agenda.

Anyone born before the 1980's were brought up in a smoking society. People smoked in their homes, businesses, doctor and lawyers offices, restaurants and most anywhere they chose and believe it or not these same people who are Congress persons, doctors lawyers and people from all walks of life and professions are currently living a happy, full, life who raised their children in the smoked filled homes and businesses and those children today are living and contributing to society in occupations of their choice. Smoking did not affect their minds like some scientists write about nor did smoking make these people idiots or dumb them down. The country continued to move forward with new inventions and innovations in science and technology, small business and education. And, the world didn't stop! Fact is, it thrived.

The first study by our Surgeon General a few years ago relating to secondhand smoke was flawed in many areas and now these groups that want to push their own agenda come up with a lackluster report saying smoking bans reduce heart attacks.

I submit that most every American knows smoking is not a good thing but to reach out and blame all of the health ills on smoking is outrageous.

The next step by these scientists will be to ban all of the above items mentioned in this article. In fact, it's already started. There is a proposal and movement by some politicians and special interest groups to tax soft drinks and fruit juices and placing a fat tax on such things as burgers and pies and other foods that they think a person shouldn't eat.

These nanny groups are using the excuse that our kids are obese and some of these same people and groups prohibit kids from eating cookies on school grounds. Yet, these same politicians, who by the way, many are fat themselves fail to look at the facts that prove that people are living longer than ever and that any child born this year 2009, will in all likelihood live to be 100 years old.

As a side note it should be mentioned that many of the drugs and medications that are administered to our children right now actually cause them to become obese. Some of the drugs that are being given to the children cause a weight gain up to 30 pounds within a couple of weeks after starting the drug regimen. So, I say it's not cookies and a bottle of soda we have to worry about or smoke from a cigarette in a room separated by another room in which the smoke is not in direct contact with another persons face. We have to worry about these individuals and groups that have a personal agenda and do not disclose all of the information regarding obesity and secondhand smoke and other pet projects on their agenda.

This secondhand smoke issue is just one way for organizations to fuel debate and raise fears in people. I believe that smoking is freedom of choice and optional. The government is saying everyone should have a choice regarding a health plan. I say everyone should have a choice and option as to if they want to indulge in smoking and have the choice as to what they want to eat and drink and do with their own body. People know the risks and consequences of their actions. They can see and read the warning labels on most everything available to them.

I would challenge some of these states that push smoking bans to do an experiment such as: allow the individual business make the choice as to whether to offer smoker friendly services or to operate smoke free establishment. Further they could set up a restaurant, bar, casino or any public business that offers food, drink, gaming or any service and then a block or two away have an exact similar business that offers the same fare but offers a totally smoke free environment and see which one does the best business. I would dare to say that the business that offers all of the same services and/or food and drink plus the choice of smoking would do a much better business.

But that is why the states refuse to let the business and marketplace set the policy and allow people to have a choice of where to eat, drink and patronize. These special interest groups are truly afraid of competition and it would burst their bubble if they saw any business that gave people the choice to either smoke or not to smoke really doing well. That is why they push for state laws to mandate prohibitions.

These "I want to look out after your health", "I know what's good for you " people even ignore the fact that there is and has been air filters on the market for decades that can filter out the air by 99.9% and these filters are being used all over the world today. Yet, these individuals and groups would rather push the fact that such filters cannot filter rooms or buildings. What a joke!

I submit that a person in one room or building smoking a cigarette cannot actually harm another person in the same building that is not in that room while the smoking is occurring. That act has been proven over decades by the smoking public worldwide.

Folks, many of these so-called scientific studies floating around have been skewed and some have been reported to be falsified. I would urge the readers to check the web and see how the scientific community over the past few decades has made up information or put out misinformation in studies either for their own personal gain or to push a specific agenda. Like numbers, reports "do" lie.

If you do want the nanny government and states to control your actions as to what you eat, where you can eat and drink, and what you do with your own body then go along with the current flow. If not, demand freedom of choice and options.

With a choice, no one will be forcing anyone. If a person wants to eat or drink where smoking is allowed they would have that choice and a nonsmoker can make the choice not to enter a smoker friendly business but instead go down the street and select a nonsmoking establishment. And, that's my opinion.

Bradley Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
____________________________
You can reach Dr. Kuhns by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com