Smokers And Nonsmokers

I cannot believe why our legislators just don't use common sense on the smoking issue. People run restaurants and bars that are for smokers and nonsmokers. Let the people make their choice where they want to go. It's just that simple. Government, stay out of people's lives and everyone is happy. RUDY SAVELLI San Pedro

Lung cancer, found in later stages, offers little hope. Randy Zisook was one of those diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer. Toward the end of his life, he warned others about the dangers of cigarette smoking by sharing his diagnosis and his story in a very public way. "This is going to affect all of us for the rest of our lives," says his wife, Lori Zisook, who has vowed to continue her husband’s awareness campaign. She recounts his life and explains her crusade in this Chicago Tribune story . Early detection is difficult, but not impossible, as explained in this Los Angeles Times story about CT scans.

It was a pleasure to read the editorial on the proposed FDA regulations to curb teenage tobacco use (Jan. 4). Although the tobacco industry would like the public to believe these regulations are reminiscent of Prohibition, the truth is that the industry is making money from the illegal sale of tobacco to minors. Do industry leaders think the public will believe they are looking out for the rights of adults to smoke when they continue to make huge profits from the sale of cigarettes to kids as young as 12 and 13?

Bans on smoking in public places and workplaces can sharply reduce heart attacks among both smokers and nonsmokers, according to a report issued Thursday by the Institute of Medicine. The report provides strong support for anti-smoking laws now in place in 21 states and the District of Columbia and is likely to bolster efforts to pass such laws elsewhere. "It's clear that smoking bans work," said Dr. Lynn R. Goldman of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who chaired the panel that produced the report.

Lung cancer, found in later stages, offers little hope. Randy Zisook was one of those diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer. Toward the end of his life, he warned others about the dangers of cigarette smoking by sharing his diagnosis and his story in a very public way. "This is going to affect all of us for the rest of our lives," says his wife, Lori Zisook, who has vowed to continue her husband’s awareness campaign. She recounts his life and explains her crusade in this Chicago Tribune story . Early detection is difficult, but not impossible, as explained in this Los Angeles Times story about CT scans.

I would not deny for one moment the health hazards of smoking, whether passive or active, but has it been scientifically verified that the amount of passive smoking in Beverly Hills restaurants is sufficient to put the health of nonsmokers at risk? Beverly Hills restaurants are well air conditioned; perhaps fewer than half the patrons are smokers, and even they are bound to be eating a good deal of the time. Surely the non-smoking diners's situation is nothing like being cooped up in an office with a chain smoker, 40 hours a week, every week of the year.

In reference to your Aug. 30 editorial on Prop. 188, "Half-Truths Cloaked in Slickness": Misled or not, all voters who signed a petition to qualify Prop. 188 for the ballot should now vote no. When these petitions were circulating, Assembly Bill 13, a statewide smoking restriction bill sponsored by Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Brentwood), was given little chance for passage. In a show of courage against the powerful tobacco lobby, both houses passed the bill and Gov. Pete Wilson signed it into law on July 21. AB 13 does exactly what Prop.

Well, our City Council members finally did it--they banned smoking in all city restaurants. From my point of view it really doesn't matter anyway; my husband is out of work and we can't afford to eat out. We are not alone; there are thousands out of work in L.A. and so many companies have left Los Angeles that getting work is very hard. Between gang violence and carjackings, who wants to go out at night anyway; you could end up dead, but our police are going to enforce a smoking ban. We have gangs of men hanging around hardware stores looking for work and homeless families begging on the streets, but our City Council has nothing more important to do than pass a law banning smoking in restaurants, a law which most people, including restaurant owners, do not want.

Bans on smoking in public places and workplaces can sharply reduce heart attacks among both smokers and nonsmokers, according to a report issued Thursday by the Institute of Medicine. The report provides strong support for anti-smoking laws now in place in 21 states and the District of Columbia and is likely to bolster efforts to pass such laws elsewhere. "It's clear that smoking bans work," said Dr. Lynn R. Goldman of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who chaired the panel that produced the report.

For seven years, Scott Stokes conducted his own reckless inquiries into the physiological effects of pot. "I woke up to get high, and I got high to go to bed," recalled the 19-year-old from El Toro, who broke his marijuana habit only after he was arrested two years ago for burglarizing a head shop. "If I didn't have it, I would . . . start sweating, and when I'd breathe deep I'd get into these weird breathing patterns. "People say that marijuana is not addictive, but it's extremely addictive."

I cannot believe why our legislators just don't use common sense on the smoking issue. People run restaurants and bars that are for smokers and nonsmokers. Let the people make their choice where they want to go. It's just that simple. Government, stay out of people's lives and everyone is happy. RUDY SAVELLI San Pedro

It was a pleasure to read the editorial on the proposed FDA regulations to curb teenage tobacco use (Jan. 4). Although the tobacco industry would like the public to believe these regulations are reminiscent of Prohibition, the truth is that the industry is making money from the illegal sale of tobacco to minors. Do industry leaders think the public will believe they are looking out for the rights of adults to smoke when they continue to make huge profits from the sale of cigarettes to kids as young as 12 and 13?

In reference to your Aug. 30 editorial on Prop. 188, "Half-Truths Cloaked in Slickness": Misled or not, all voters who signed a petition to qualify Prop. 188 for the ballot should now vote no. When these petitions were circulating, Assembly Bill 13, a statewide smoking restriction bill sponsored by Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Brentwood), was given little chance for passage. In a show of courage against the powerful tobacco lobby, both houses passed the bill and Gov. Pete Wilson signed it into law on July 21. AB 13 does exactly what Prop.

Well, our City Council members finally did it--they banned smoking in all city restaurants. From my point of view it really doesn't matter anyway; my husband is out of work and we can't afford to eat out. We are not alone; there are thousands out of work in L.A. and so many companies have left Los Angeles that getting work is very hard. Between gang violence and carjackings, who wants to go out at night anyway; you could end up dead, but our police are going to enforce a smoking ban. We have gangs of men hanging around hardware stores looking for work and homeless families begging on the streets, but our City Council has nothing more important to do than pass a law banning smoking in restaurants, a law which most people, including restaurant owners, do not want.

I would not deny for one moment the health hazards of smoking, whether passive or active, but has it been scientifically verified that the amount of passive smoking in Beverly Hills restaurants is sufficient to put the health of nonsmokers at risk? Beverly Hills restaurants are well air conditioned; perhaps fewer than half the patrons are smokers, and even they are bound to be eating a good deal of the time. Surely the non-smoking diners's situation is nothing like being cooped up in an office with a chain smoker, 40 hours a week, every week of the year.

Amtrak, the national rail passenger service, will impose additional smoking restrictions on its trains beginning April 1, two members of Congress said today. The new rules will provide greater separation between smokers and nonsmokers, Rep. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said in a joint statement.

The City Council on Tuesday agreed to extend its ban on smoking in public places to include City Hall, but it delayed including the police station in the ban after officers expressed reservations, noting that providing cigarettes is sometimes part of the interrogation process. The city staff was directed to return with a proposal that would allow smoking on such occasions and in some places within the police station, but still ban smoking in most public areas of the facility.