From: [j n dmy] at [cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu] (James DiGriz)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs
Subject: Found in a cigarette carton... (little long)
Date: Sat, 27 May 1995 14:53:12 GMT

Now, I realize that this should probably be printed in alt.comedy or
alt.hypocrisy or some such, but I thought you'd get a kick out of this
all the same.  It was given to me by a smoker and was found in a
carton of Winston Lights:

"COME OUT SLOWLY SIR,
WITH YOUR CIGARETTE ABOVE YOUR HEAD."

	"The situation above may seem implausible at first.  But right now,
the Government is trying to compare cigarettes with heroin and
cocaine.  They are also proposing to entirely prohibit smoking in
public places, company cars, trucks, and any place of business entered
by ten or more people a week.
	"These same proposals could also affect your private home as you could
be forbidden to smoke anytime a workman or repairman visits.  In
addition, a cigarette tax increase of 300% is being considered.
(House of Representatives bill No. 3434 and Dept. of Labor, OSHA
Docket No. H-122, Indoor Air Quality, Proposed Rule, 4/4/94.  See H.R.
3600 and S. 1757)
	"_This_is_nothing_less_than_an_attempt_at_tobacco_
_prohibition,_something_that_will_have_serious_implications_for_
_Americans._
	"Earlier this year, the Canadian Government was forced to rollback the
exorbitant cigarette tax they introduced two years ago.  Organized
criminal gangs controlled a huge smuggling market, creating a climate
of fear and violence throughout the country.  California, which raised
its cigarette taxes to fund health education, reports that 7% of the
entire tobacco market consists of illegal cigarettes.  (California
State Revenue Board)  Higher taxes will only make things worse.
	"Despite the Government's denials, the proposed tax increases and the
avalanche of other anti-tobacco legislation are all simply forms of
backdoor prohibition.  Has the Government given any thought to the
consequences?
	"This opinion is brought to you in the interest of an informed debate
by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.  We believe that the answer to
most smoking issues lies in _accomidation,_ in finding ways in which
smokers and non-smokers can co-exist peacefully.  For further
information please call 1-800-95 NO BAN."

MY COMMENTS:
	If I remember correctly, I believe that the large tobacco companies
are major parts of D.A.R.E.  One question I have is if the R. J.
Reynolds company is one of them.  If so, doesn't it seem ironic about
this little ad they have?  Taste of their own medicine kind of thing.

	And yes, I know the scientific community is trying to compare tobacco
and herion.  Let's see what they had to say, shall we?  A story done
for the _New_York_Times_ had Dr. Jack Hennigfield of the National
Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Dr. Neal Benowitz of the University
of California at San Francisco (UCSF) rank several drugs on a scale of
1 to 6 (six being the least serious, 1 being the most) based on the
following criteria:  Withdrawl, Reinforcement, Tolerance, Dependence,
and intoxication.  Here is the chart from that story:

Substance		Wdl	Rif	Tol	Dep	Intoxication
Nicotine			3,3	4,4	2,4	1,1	5,6
Heroin			2,2	2,2	1,2	2,2	2,2
Cocaine			4,3	1,1	4,1	3,3	3,3
Alcohol			1,1	3,3	3,4	4,4	1,1
Caffeine			5,4	6,5	5,3	5,5	6,5
Marijuana		6,5	5,6	6,5	6,6	4,4

Notice that nicotine and alcohol each have at least one secion where
both doctors gave it a double one, whereas cocaine is the only illicit
substance to have two ones in one area (heroin has just one 1, for
tolerance).

	Just thought this'd be interesting to some of you.  BTW, I couldn't
find a tobacco newsgroup, so if you know of one, I'd appreciate it if
you would forward this message (however, make sure there isn't already
another copy there first).  Thanks!


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