Controlling Tobacco

Re “Watch Out for the Lurking Tobacco Police,” Commentary, March 30: Sorry, Peter Beaudrault, but things have not gone too far in controlling the so-called “legal substance” that is tobacco. On the contrary, the Ross Volbrechts of this world should be grateful someone cares about their health, even if you and, apparently, his parents don’t!

Apparently Beaudrault isn’t aware that chewing tobacco is a leading cause of mouth cancer among young men 18 to 25, and even with the education in baseball’s minor and major leagues was a direct cause of several athletes having lesions and tumors removed in the past two years alone.

It’s too bad the “nanny culture” wasn’t in time to help those people. Whether the Beaudraults of this country like it or not, tobacco kills, and I would rather see offenders locked up than have my lungs damaged, or more people disfigured or die, because of someone else’s “personal freedom.”

JULIE T. BYERS

Temple City

*

Beaudrault is entirely correct that people have the right to kill themselves with tobacco. But he sounds like a shill for the tobacco companies because he doesn’t follow his line of reasoning through to the inevitable conclusion that all drugs are individual choices, and all addictions are medical conditions. The police have no more business arresting people for heroin, alcohol, or cocaine than they do for tobacco.

How people enjoy themselves or kill themselves is nobody’s business but their own, and when they choose to get clean it’s in all of our interests to provide safe, legal assistance.

TOM TRAUB

Pasadena