Sonoma County Gazette, August 2012

What we don’t know can hurt us…..
In the 1950’s, medical doctors extolled the virtues of smoking cigarettes in public advertisements.  People were lighting up in restaurants, airplanes, movie theaters and almost everywhere.  As late as the 1980’s, smoke was so thick in the main room of the Santa Rosa Vets Auditorium bingo games, that one could barely see across the room.

And now, after many deaths from lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema were directly attributed to cigarettes, along with suffering and bad health of others who had their quality of life substantially reduced, and since the discovery that non-smokers coming in contact with second hand smoke were every bit as much at risk, we have witnessed a paradigm shift where one can no longer even smoke in bars or outdoor cafes.  Smokers have become pariahs in office buildings and are no longer allowed to light up on public transportation.  In only 25 years, millions of people were inspired to give up this severely addictive habit, their quality of life immediately improved, and for many, years were added back on to their lives.