In defense of cigarettes

First off: I don’t smoke. I was raised in NorCal, where from the minute you enter elementary school you are bombarded with anti-smoking campaigns about how the tobacco companies are multinational corporations out to steal your money, health, and soul. I remember receiving a bookmark with all the chemicals in a cigarette on one side and a picture of a pair of lungs of a person with emphysema on the other side. Cigarettes, I was told, must be the greatest of all evils to permeate the world. And my little friends and I solemnly swore to each other that we would never, ever, ever let the others smoke. And since then, while some of my elementary school friends have gotten into hard drugs and binge drinking, as far as I know, none of them smoke cigarettes. In fact, one friend I grew up with smokes weed every day, but refuses to smoke spliffs because she’s terrified of getting addicted to tobacco and experiencing the negative health risks associated with it.

But the truth is that so many of the activities we engage in damage our health in some way, and it is an active choice to engage in these activities for present enjoyment, even if it means risking our future health. Smoking is just one of those activities, and should be treated with the same respect as drinking alcohol and eating unhealthy foods. Smokers know the health risks, and a lot of them make a conscious decision to smoke despite the risks.

Again, I am not a smoker, but I can imagine how taking a few moments out of your day to enjoy a cigarette, standing and calmly watching the bustle around you, must be an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable activity on the busy streets of New York City. And I do think that stopping and smelling the roses, taking a minute to yourself just to relax, is something Columbians and New Yorkers could use more of. But smokers I have talked to have said that when they stand on the street enjoying a cigarette, a lot of passers-by make a conscious effort to cough and glare at them just to make a point. Why is it okay for people to judge smokers so openly, constantly reminding them of the risks of lung cancer and emphysema, but it is not okay to judge other unhealthy behaviors? How would we react if someone constantly reminded an obese person about the dangers of heart disease or someone went into a bar and started telling everyone holding a beer about how alcohol damages your liver? Fatty foods and alcohol are bad for you, and most people know this, but they make the decision to enjoy their weekends in college knowing that in the future there may be adverse health consequences. They do their own cost-benefit analysis: measuring future costs and present benefits. Who is the government to tell them their own calculations are wrong?

Cigarette culture in our society has reached a point beyond spreading “awareness” of the risks and instead is justification for non-smokers to moralize and judge smokers broadly. Spreading awareness is one thing, and people should be aware of the risks associated with the behaviors they engage in, but beyond this point it is up to educated and informed citizens to weigh these risks against the enjoyment they derive from such behaviors. If they make the decision to smoke, we should respect it.

Our moral indignation at cigarettes reflects the overall absolutist attitude we have towards healthy living in America. We cut out bacon and binge on potatoes, then do a three-sixty and cut out potatoes and binge on bacon. Instead of condemning and condoning certain behaviors with an almost religious fervor, we should instead focus on reasonably weighing health risks versus enjoyment and encouraging moderation in all realms of our lives. Cigarettes aren’t the face of evil while marijuana is the key to absolute truth and enlightenment; both have adverse effects on the lungs if smoked in excess, yet can be okay in moderation. Instead of moralizing and justifying certain activities over others, the University should take a reasonable approach to health: encouraging moderation in all things. And also, don’t project your values systems onto other people. If you don’t smoke, don’t smoke, but also don’t give long lectures about lung cancer to people who have heard it all before.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore. She is the Spectator food and drink editor.