Their Killing My Best Friend Fred
Ken Hughes
September 23, 2006
My best friend of nearly 30 years is killing himself because Congress won’t act on one of the nation’s most serious problems, the addiction to cigarette smoking. We’ve just learned the tobacco industry secretly increased the nicotine levels in their most popular brands of cigarettes by 20%. This came along with the public service advertising they do to prohibit irresponsible smoking. Is there a responsible way to smoke?
Let me tell you about my friend Fred and then I’ll tell you how Congress can save his life and thousands of other lives. For years Fred and I enjoyed a cigarette with coffee, after dinner, with a relaxing drink at the end of a hard day. A cigarette was like desert after enjoying a fine meal. We never looked at it as a drug addiction of the worst kind.
Thirteen years ago I lost five members of my immediate family to cancer within two years; four were smokers at some point in their lives. At that point I kicked the cigarette addiction cold turkey. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. With God's help I’ve been tobacco toxin free for the past thirteen years. I must admit there are still those infrequent times when I would love to have a cigarette.
This spring my friend Fred discovered he had colon cancer; then they detected a spot on his lung. Fred is one of the lucky ones; they caught his cancers in stage one and stage two. His doctor who preformed both operations within six weeks of each other made the decisions Kemo wouldn’t be necessary. God has surely been looking over Fred through these trying times.
Fred gave up smoking cigarettes when they discovered his cancer. Today I discovered he’s fallen back on the habit. Trying reason with an addicted smoker is impossible. The habit out does the fear of the consequences. Addicts aren’t bad people, they aren’t stupid people. They’re addicted people.
That leaves us to question why Congress hasn’t done more to curb the addiction of cigarettes. Why is Congress not helping my friend Fred to kick this addiction affecting him and millions of other Americans? Congress persons get elected on the good they do for their constituents don’t they?
Congress regulates toxins in nearly every product but tobacco. The tobacco industry is continually increasing the toxin levels in cigarettes. Why can’t Congress require the toxin levels be reduced. So far all Congress has done is restrict advertising, require a label on each pack that no one reads and, of course, the ultimate increase taxes on cigarettes. None of these measures is going to prevent life-long smokers from getting cancer.
If I were one of those conspiracy theorists I might think the reason Congress doesn’t do more to curb the smoking habit is it’s directly connected to their social security policy. In other words the more senior citizens that die from lung cancer the longer the social security fund will last. This isn’t my idea I’ve read it several places in the past.
There must be a reasonable explanation why Congress has allowed the toxins in tobacco to go unchecked for so long. No one is suggesting tobacco products be outlawed completely. What’s being suggested is they be subject to the same regulations other toxic products are regulated by.
What I’m asking Congress to do is mandate lowering the addictive nicotine levels in cigarettes so my friend Fred and those other millions of tobacco addicted people have a fighting chance to make a reasonable choice, to smoke or not to smoke. It should be their choice and not have the deck stacked against them by upping the addictive levels of cigarettes.
I thank God every day I’m a recovering smoker. It was not only my most difficult choice it was my best choice. I pray to God everyday to give my friend Fred the willpower to give it up.
Let me tell you about my friend Fred and then I’ll tell you how Congress can save his life and thousands of other lives. For years Fred and I enjoyed a cigarette with coffee, after dinner, with a relaxing drink at the end of a hard day. A cigarette was like desert after enjoying a fine meal. We never looked at it as a drug addiction of the worst kind.
Thirteen years ago I lost five members of my immediate family to cancer within two years; four were smokers at some point in their lives. At that point I kicked the cigarette addiction cold turkey. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. With God's help I’ve been tobacco toxin free for the past thirteen years. I must admit there are still those infrequent times when I would love to have a cigarette.
This spring my friend Fred discovered he had colon cancer; then they detected a spot on his lung. Fred is one of the lucky ones; they caught his cancers in stage one and stage two. His doctor who preformed both operations within six weeks of each other made the decisions Kemo wouldn’t be necessary. God has surely been looking over Fred through these trying times.
Fred gave up smoking cigarettes when they discovered his cancer. Today I discovered he’s fallen back on the habit. Trying reason with an addicted smoker is impossible. The habit out does the fear of the consequences. Addicts aren’t bad people, they aren’t stupid people. They’re addicted people.
That leaves us to question why Congress hasn’t done more to curb the addiction of cigarettes. Why is Congress not helping my friend Fred to kick this addiction affecting him and millions of other Americans? Congress persons get elected on the good they do for their constituents don’t they?
Congress regulates toxins in nearly every product but tobacco. The tobacco industry is continually increasing the toxin levels in cigarettes. Why can’t Congress require the toxin levels be reduced. So far all Congress has done is restrict advertising, require a label on each pack that no one reads and, of course, the ultimate increase taxes on cigarettes. None of these measures is going to prevent life-long smokers from getting cancer.
If I were one of those conspiracy theorists I might think the reason Congress doesn’t do more to curb the smoking habit is it’s directly connected to their social security policy. In other words the more senior citizens that die from lung cancer the longer the social security fund will last. This isn’t my idea I’ve read it several places in the past.
There must be a reasonable explanation why Congress has allowed the toxins in tobacco to go unchecked for so long. No one is suggesting tobacco products be outlawed completely. What’s being suggested is they be subject to the same regulations other toxic products are regulated by.
What I’m asking Congress to do is mandate lowering the addictive nicotine levels in cigarettes so my friend Fred and those other millions of tobacco addicted people have a fighting chance to make a reasonable choice, to smoke or not to smoke. It should be their choice and not have the deck stacked against them by upping the addictive levels of cigarettes.
I thank God every day I’m a recovering smoker. It was not only my most difficult choice it was my best choice. I pray to God everyday to give my friend Fred the willpower to give it up.
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