With the political power of the trial lawyers on the ascent is it any surprise the anti-tobacco zealots are buzzed about new pools of money to extort?
Evidence, Schmevidence: An article in the journal Tobacco Control suggests suing doctors for failing to nag patients who smoke about quitting. Noting that the U.S. Public Health Service has issued "Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence Clinical Practice Guidelines" that recommend informing patients about the health risks of smoking and steering them toward "effective and inexpensive treatments for nicotine addiction," the authors argue that doctors who don't comply with these guidelines could successfully be sued for malpractice.
Oh Please! This is a total non-starter. The American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society are the benefactors advancing the smoke free America movement to all their victories over individual free choice, commercial free choice, the application of scientific rigor and a realistic free society definition of acceptable risk. People who want tobacco prohibited should keep their focus on that goal and forgo looting their allies.
Actually the very first commenter captures the prohibitionist mindset quite succinctly. “Sometimes shortcuts are necessary when human lives are on the line”. In other words, death can be used to justify almost any desired action. The health worship movement is awash with contempt for ‘premature death’ which is a meaningless term unless 'mature death' is an establish standard. If Mother Nature is the source for answers and nature provides little evidence supporting hanging around once the succeeding generation starts breeding, I suppose it is logical to make dying before age 45 a crime and afterwards an obligation. Well … maybe not. Prohibitionists, back to the drawing board please.
Actually the very first commenter captures the prohibitionist mindset quite succinctly. “Sometimes shortcuts are necessary when human lives are on the line”. In other words, death can be used to justify almost any desired action. The health worship movement is awash with contempt for ‘premature death’ which is a meaningless term unless 'mature death' is an establish standard. If Mother Nature is the source for answers and nature provides little evidence supporting hanging around once the succeeding generation starts breeding, I suppose it is logical to make dying before age 45 a crime and afterwards an obligation. Well … maybe not. Prohibitionists, back to the drawing board please.
