Paul Newman and John Wayne

[ohiosheltielady]

The other day there was a commercial for Dean Martin's television show collection and in every single shot practically, he was holding a cigarette, laughing as if he didn't have a care in the world, having the time of his life, the picture of good health and youth.  He's gone now though.  So is Paul Newman, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, John Wayne, Johnny Carson and all the other heavy smokers who were the picture of health at one time.

Sometimes I wonder if the ingredients in the cigarettes, all those poisons, are more plentiful now than they were in the 50s and 60s when these people smoked, and when our parents and grandparents smoked.  Here's what is in the cigarette now though:

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.

Can anyone explain to me how exactly it is that our government won't stop tobacco companies from poisoning us?  I mean, they rush in and slam the brakes on other products such as lead paint, or asbestos products, etc.  And yet this is okay to sell in every single convenience store in the world, or in every grocery store. It's legal and it's okay to consume these ingredients several times a day.  Can anyone explain this to me? 

I miss you Paul and John and Lucy and Johhny and Dean and Jackie and so very recently, you too Patrick.  I wish that when the government realized the ingredients that were manufactured, packaged, sold to the general public as safe (except for a warning on the package that basically said .... "this could kill you, but we're still going to market it anyhow and make it amazingly addictive too") ... well, I just wish somebody somewhere would have stopped it somehow.  I think that could have been done, I don't know. I wish it had been done before I was born so I never would have smoked, but ...

so far nobody has done it.  We are still allowing a product that kills us to be marketed and stocked in the local stores for our own children.  We haven't stopped it either.  It's insane and yet allowed. 

[ohiosheltielady]

And it goes on to say this: 

Nicotine is highly addictive. Smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into the lungs, and the nicotine reaches your brain in just six seconds.

Nicotine in small doses acts as a stimulant to the brain. In large doses, it's a depressant, inhibiting the flow of signals between nerve cells. In even larger doses, it's a lethal poison, affecting the heart, blood vessels, and hormones. Nicotine in the bloodstream acts to make the smoker feel calm.

As a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled into the lungs increases, and the last puff contains more than twice as much tar as the first puff. Carbon monoxide makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Tar is a mixture of substances that together form a sticky mass in the lungs.

Most of the chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke stay in the lungs. The more you inhale, the better it feels—and the greater the damage to your lungs.

[ohiosheltielady]

And I totally realize that "big brother" can't march in and take away all cigarettes, thus forcing us to all be healthier.  I realize this, but at the same time, could they not march into the tobacco manufacturers and insist on safer cigarettes or at least cutting the amount of poison in half if not eliminating it?  I mean, is this possible?  It makes me crazy thinking about it.

[judy41]

Hi OSL - So thought provoking, and I have shared those thoughts over the years.  No 1 - when I first smoked

it did not enter my mind it was more addictive than heroin.  Although I have no way to prove it, I think there are

more chemicals and poisons today than when I began to smoke in the early 70's.  Maybe this should be message

today, If you smoke, please realize it is more addictive than heroin.  It is all so absurd, it shows the power of

Washington lobbyists.  Pretty disgusting and wish we had time to kick'em all out!

[msweldon]

Its funny that when they started learning the dangers of drinking and teenagers, all they did was raise the age accountanility. Now they have to be twenty one to purchase and drink it, yet they can go into a store all the poison they can afford, and go and smoke it..... At the age of 18..... Marijjuana is very illigal and I think that there are prolly less crap in that than in cigs. Please correct me if I am wrong... I just think that those of us that are really sick and tired would get together with a lot of information, and present it to the lawmakers, they have to here us on it. They don't have to act, but they have to listen.... just and idea......

I am so glad to be a non-smoker as of 22 days ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ohiosheltielady]

Going back to my own childhood and those impressionable early days, this is one of the things I remember about smoking ... that it was okay, this it was commonplace, that everybody everywhere did it anywhere anytime, all the time, ... that it was sexy, that it had a beautiful image, and that it was harmless.  We were years away from worry.  We were years and years and years away from this reality that is now sitting on our kitchen tables staring at us with hollow eyes!  Damn the deception!

[suzyq4]

I scratch my head over that one a lot. Even medical insurance providers now charge more if there's a smoker in the house. More and more places are banning smoking out right...you'd think the government would notice a trend starting. Oh that's right they did!! How did they respond? TAX IT MORE!!! There's a real help! Who said money doesn't talk? Big tobacco's money and lobbyists are doing a great job of keeping them legal. I agree with Judy re: marijuana. They're finding medicinal properties to help people....have they EVER found a medicinal property for tobacco?

[Mary84]

Thanks Ohio.  There has to be something we all can do.    Obama banned cigarettes in the military didn't he.  He himself is quitting smoking.    One day, and soon, I pray cigarettes are not produced and sold anywhere.   We have obviously made strides toward educating people about the dangers of smoking, banning smoking in public place, etc., it is now socially unacceptable to smoke, yea!      Don't know what it woud take to take it to the highest notch and simply ban them.    Maybe someday that will be a reality but it can't come soon enough.  

One of the ingredients in coke was cocaine years ago.   Crazy, huh

Hugs, Mary

[carole_]

That is the trillion dollar question.  Trillion because nicotine has been a big glutenous feeder of the government's bank account and individual Washington election pockets for decades, lobbyist abound.  Now, if I had to have a personal thought on it, public opinion is swinging the polls and forcing Washington to look at alternative ways to make up the tobacco income.  Why?  I think, and it's just me, the modern health science showing causal relationships to poor health/cancers and enough of the population watching their own loved ones die from nicotine-related deaths,  is finally sinking in.   Sad that the almighty dollar runs the ship but it does.   Just my thought, not worth a hoot, lots of thoughts out there on this I'm sure. 

[JACKIE38]

love the old movies, has to stop watching them a sits all they did is smoke, my grandmother died when i was about 12 and i can still remember her smoking. i think she could knit a sweater and never let the ash from her smoke fall. she was the best gran in the world . to bad she never told me not to smoke god bless her

good luck to you  jackie

[Debi12]

Yes OSL, many people died much to young from smoking related diseases.  My own Mother being one (she was my best friend as well)  not a day passes that I don't think about her and wish we could spend the day together.  She was in her mid sixties - otherwise healthy as can be.  Yet here I am 9 years later making an attempt to quit.....  I feel guilty and pretty stupid now.  Your blog made me think of Mom - she had a big crush on Paul Newman!! 

Have a great day - great blog!!

[star4]

Great blog OHIO.  I've often wondered myself, how the hell do the cigarette companies get away with this?  Is the cigarette lobby that powerful?  How were they allowed to addict pretty much all of us on this website, and many more, ruin our health, basically sending us to an early grave, and not have any regulations about the chemicals and crap they are allowed to put in cigarettes?   

Some of the Truth commercials have really shed light on the problem, but nothing is getting done.  It makes me MAD our lives were sold out for money, nothing more.  

I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 2 Days, 18 hours, 56 minutes and 55 seconds (23 days). I have saved $89.20 by not smoking 356 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 5 hours and 40 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 12/31/2009 11:55 PM