‘Smokers Stand Alone in Blame’

I read with amazement Machan’s article. In his apology for the tobacco industry Machan claims we should let the smoker continue his habit “whatever the risks.” “Self-responsibility,” he states, prompts the informed smoker to decide whether to smoke and not the cigarette companies who are only providing a product.

This empty argument may hold weight in Machan’s philosophy class but is factually wrong. Smoking kills without any reasonable doubt. It injures smokers, their family members, bystanders, and costs every citizen billions of extra dollars in insurance premiums, as well as many other hidden costs. He compares “eating potato chips” with smoking. This comparison would only apply if people ate cigarettes and did not force the added (health and financial) costs of their addiction on those who do not smoke. If smokers wish to destroy their health it is their legal right, but their rights end at their own lungs, hearts and pocketbooks.

PAUL S. DWAN, MD

Los Angeles