Programs to prevent youth smoking represent the height of hypocritical foolishness.1 Anyone with even rudimentary parenting skills knows that the message “do as I say, not as I do” leads to an increase, not a decrease, in the undesirable behaviour. We now even have the obscenely self-serving absurdity of tobacco companies placing ads that urge young people not to buy their products.
As physicians we should stop all these counterproductive, tiresome and increasingly ridiculous efforts to educate, admonish, inform and warn adolescents about smoking, such as the development of talking cigarette packages.2 Through the Canadian Medical Association, we should take the eminently reasonable position that the manufacture and sale of a product known to be fatally toxic should be treated as a criminal offence. Our public efforts should be directed at encouraging our legislators to uphold the common good and put into law the required legislation.
Signature
Mark G. Leith
Department of Psychiatry University of Toronto Toronto, Ont.
References
- 1.Canada “behind eight ball” in fighting youth smoking. CMAJ 2001;164(10):1479.
- 2.A cigarette pack that talks the talk. CMAJ 2001; 164 (10):1479.