Cigarettes

I've managed to stay clear of smoking.  But if a smoker is considerate enough to ask "Mind if I smoke?" I give him a break and let him. (Steve Martin says that if someone asks you that question you should answer, "No, mind if I fart?")

Does anyone remember the candy cigarettes they had fifty years ago?

When you see a period show like Mad Men, the characters are always smoking, which makes them rather pitiful.

Sadly, Hollywood has done a lot to promote smoking over the years.  If you see Breakfast at Tiffany's today, you'll notice that Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard smoke constantly--even in bed!  In Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea they show people smoking on board a submarine!  As recently as Titanic, they showed that Kate Winslet was a "free spirit" by having her smoke despite her mother and fiance's disapproval. (Does she smoke Virginia Slims?) That isn't just wicked, it's trite!

And it's pretty clear that the cigarette companies knew their product was harmful long ago.  Back in the 1950s they came up with the ad line, "More doctors smoke Camels"!  I say that all cigarette companies should be nationalized.  And I think that tobacco and marijuana should be treated the same.