How to Stop Smoking (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
Barack Obama recently signed a massive anti-smoking bill, The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, designed to stop teens and young people from smoking by granting the FDA unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco. This is another example of how Barack Obama uses regulation to accomplish his goals, in this case to get Americans to stop smoking.
It stands in stark contrast to the novel way a Saudi Arabian charity is using to help young people quit smoking:
“RIYADH: The catchy slogan, “Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us,” is meant to entice young grooms to give up smoking by offering an attractive incentive.
***
A draw on August 6 will include the names of the men who successfully quit smoking in a weeklong course. The winner will have all wedding expenses paid while 20 runners-up will get free furniture. Sulaiman al-Soby, secretary general of Purity [the charity], said the aim is to create a smoke-free family. One-third of Saudi school children live in homes with smokers, according to a 2007 health survey.”
Smoke-free and married, by choice. It’s a win-win.
UPDATE — Here’s another stop-smoking method:
“A man was charged with domestic battery after he drenched his wife with a garden hose and attacked her for smoking in the house, according to a police report.”
Surely there is a better way to stop smoking than passing more laws, living in Saudi Arabia or resorting to fisticuffs.
— DRJ
Quitting smoking is Teh Suck.
JD (edeb90) — 6/30/2009 @ 4:57 pmHow much for your daughters?
The patriarchy wins again.
daleyrocks (718861) — 6/30/2009 @ 4:59 pmJD, just a thought. I know you recently stopped smoking (or are in the process). That means you produce less CO2 emissions. That makes you a carbon-credit. You might be in for some bucks.
😉 Hang in there!
Pons Asinorum (d1c25d) — 6/30/2009 @ 5:07 pmNothing personal, but I think I’d rather smoke and be single.
Not that I’m bitter …
JayC (7faf14) — 6/30/2009 @ 5:36 pmHow’s that illegalization of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, … doing for use rates? Right.
htom (412a17) — 6/30/2009 @ 5:49 pmThat might be a really great program if they include the one-night marriages.
Mike K (2cf494) — 6/30/2009 @ 6:04 pmIt might be more effective if they introduce some penalty for not stopping smoking…
AD - RtR/OS! (e2c6d2) — 6/30/2009 @ 6:11 pmBeheading usually works!
The downside? You’re in Saudi Arabia. No, thanks.
Kevin Murphy (0b2493) — 6/30/2009 @ 6:15 pmIf Obama wants to quit, all he has to do is announce that he’ll resign if caught smoking.
Kevin Murphy (0b2493) — 6/30/2009 @ 6:16 pmI’ve updated the post with the story of a Florida man’s method to stop his wife from smoking.
DRJ (cdbef5) — 6/30/2009 @ 7:02 pmI quit smoking three years ago using laser acupuncture. It worked like magic. I haven’t had the least desire for a cigarette since. I can be around smokers and not need one myself. I even wrote then Senator Obama about the place I went to (as there was an office in Chicago).
Maybe my husband and I can sell carbon credits too!
kimsch (2ce939) — 6/30/2009 @ 7:39 pmThe most effective way I found to quit smoking was to have a heart attack. They won’t let you smoke in the cardiac intensive care unit, but you tend to be too preoccupied to notice it.
Beldar (8a859e) — 6/30/2009 @ 9:10 pmBeldar! Welcome back.
nk (bef3ab) — 6/30/2009 @ 9:12 pmDitto! And, Condolences.
AD - RtR/OS! (e2c6d2) — 6/30/2009 @ 9:17 pmBeldar, welcome back and condolences too, but I’d rather spend the $200 for the laser acupuncture than go through the heart attack and all the attendant hospital costs. Of course, The Won will pay all those costs for me now, won’t he?
kimsch (2ce939) — 6/30/2009 @ 9:24 pmAre you nuts? Newly married and suffering from a week-long nic-fit? Thank Christ it’s legal to beat women there…
We now wait five minutes to see who can’t figure out I was kidding…
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 6/30/2009 @ 10:25 pmDRJ,
You might be surprised, perhaps there really aren’t better ways. As for the garden hose, I could see someone agreeing to that and if so the police shouldn’t be involved. Dousing someone with a garden hose is a long way from beating them up.
Soronel Haetir (506ccb) — 7/1/2009 @ 4:36 amThe easiest and most effective way to stop smoking is the way Obama did it–he just lied about it.
Official Internet Data Office (7f838d) — 7/1/2009 @ 6:51 amIsn’t the SCHIP program financed with tobacco money ?
And those state that get “Tobacco Settlement” money must really be happy to have Obama cut off their cash cow.
Neo (46a1a2) — 7/1/2009 @ 12:11 pmWhat about making it a crime to possess, use, distribute, or sell tobacco?
Michael Ejercito (833607) — 7/1/2009 @ 8:52 pmBut, but…who would pay for all of these wonderful programs for the children?
AD - RtR/OS! (5fd0fb) — 7/1/2009 @ 9:05 pmAnd, wouldn’t that take a Constitutional Amendment (Volstedt Act, anyone)?
The Constitution has already been amended by Wickard v. Filburn.
nk (218382) — 7/1/2009 @ 9:09 pmRe Filburn…
AD - RtR/OS! (5fd0fb) — 7/1/2009 @ 9:31 pmBut, that had nothing to do with prohibition; and, there is a good chance that the SCOTUS will have another bite on this apple via the several states that have exempted themselves and their citizens from Federal control of arms in intra-state commerce. Many of the Depression-era decisions giving an expanded role to Congress re Interstate Commerce have been shaved back by the Court over the last 20-years or so. It would not be unreasonable to expect that the Court today might start to take a more expansive view of individual rights again, and exempt personal manufacture and use from commerce regulation, getting away from that silly “influence” ruling.