The Demographics of Smoking
Tony Horwitz’s satiric encouragement of Barack Obama to resume smoking cigarettes to better connect with blue-collar voters glosses over the reality that those with less income and education are far more likely to smoke.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those without a college degree have an almost four times higher rate of smoking than those with a college degree. And tobacco use will lead to premature death for half of all long-term smokers.
Mr. Obama’s ability to remain tobacco-free should be seen as an inspirational message to all smokers who have tried so many times to quit, only to relapse to smoking. The challenge to society is to figure out how to support those less well-off smokers so that they, too, can become tobacco-free.
Possessing only a high school diploma should not condemn a smoker to a greatly increased risk of premature death from tobacco use.
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Tags: Smoking