Smoking Stinks

Now, let me preface this by saying I don't smoke. But I do walk and look at the garbage that lines the streets. The most common garbage I see are coffee cups and cigarette packs. One thing I immediately noticed was that these packages have large warnings on them, much larger than the ones in the U.S. As you can see, they can be pretty graphic. They are also really large and fill up the top of the package (see right and below). These warnings were first put on packages in 2000. The labels cover 50% of the entire package (front and back) and are considered the largest and most graphic warning labels in the world. Inside the packages, there are suggestions on how to quit. A survey was done by the Canadian Cancer Society a few years after the warnings were first printed and they found that 43 percent of smokers and 40 percent of nonsmokers said they are more concerned about the health effects of smoking because of the new warnings. The study also showed that 38 percent of smokers who attempted to quit in 2001 said the new warnings were a factor in motivating them to try to quit. But, don't feel down. These are good things! We want people to stop smoking! So, here's to no more smoking. Pick a day to stop and just stop. What's the American Reading? I just picked up The Fasting Girl: A True Victorian Medical Mystery. So far, pretty good. It's about a woman who claimed to not eat (more or less) for 12 years and stayed in her bedroom from age 19 until the day she died. Freeky and fascinating. A CANADIAN FACT! A carton of cigarettes in Ontario costs $66.23 (CAN).