What?! That can’t be right. Why would someone want to lose their job? Well I will tell you why. My vision is that one day in the future (hopefully not too distant) that my services would no longer be needed because smoking is a thing of the past. We have reached the END GAME!
There are a few different schools of thought on how we might accomplish such a daunting task these include: bans on advertising, increased taxation, mandate plain packaging or graphic packaging, increased promotion and availability to cessation services and enlargement of smoke-free spaces. One option that might deserve some attention is the ban on the sale of cigarettes. In fact, this has already happened in the US. Between 1895 and 1927, 15 states banned the sale of cigarettes entirely. Although these regulations were all eventually repealed (due to pressure from big tobacco and the enticement of tax revenues), these laws are within the power of the local and state government to reenact. Of course, a ban on the sale of cigarettes would not completely eradicate all smoking (but it would probably do enough to eliminate my job). Instead, possession of tobacco would not need to be illegal; people could grow their own for personal use, but not be allowed to sell it (most would not, but would have the option to).
The cigarette is the deadliest invention in the history of human-kind. If another product killed over half of its consumers that used it regularly, that product would be banned so fast it would make your head-spin. Somehow, (money) cigarettes companies have been able to manipulate their way and avoid being banned.
The cigarette is simply too dangerous to be sold and to see the end of sales for this product would certainly be worth losing a job over.
What do you imagine would come of cigarettes being banned? Can you even imagine this?
Laura McConahey
NDC Counselor/CTTS
