nic - with respect - that blog post shows either a willful ignorance of health economics, epidemiology and clinical science or a deliberate misrepresentation or - as I suspect - both

I enjoy having a shit on people's sitting room floors, and I have read an article proving it is harmless. What's your address?

Ha!

A few questions...

How many people die from lung cancer that can be attributed to smoking?

And what is their average age when they do?

Last edited by formby (2014-01-09 13:25:36)

From what I've read lung cancer is the most common cancer. It kills double than the next most prevalent form which is bowel cancer.

There seems to be a trend that past 45 years of age you are more likely to get lung cancer if you are a smoker. With like formby saying above most dying in their mid-70s.

My view on smoking is that people should smoke if they like. They should not impose this on to others passively unless theyre in a space where people have agreed that they're happy to be around smoke. The only problem is how to protect children from smoke especially at home but maybe that should be up to the parent if they're happy for their child to be around smoke. In an ideal world we'd pay towards our on health care which would justify others not paying for the bad choices of smokers or anyone else mistreating their bodies.  But its fair to say with the high amount of tax on cigarettes smokers do contribute largely to the public purse.

I think when it comes to individual choices, this includes drugs too, it should not be unlawful to use them. Selling and distributing is another mater though because with this you do have people profiteering from dangerous products that have no other use other than being recreational.

Smoking has been conclusively proven to be detrimental to well being and life expectancy, which is why, as a non smoker, I get a discount on life insurance premiums.

Very few people smoke moderately, if there is such a thing; the majority smoke at least 10 a day.
Smokers, being basically weak willed individuals, frequently indulge in the other behaviours that are known to damage health i.e.excessive alcohol consumption and following a diet high in fat and/or sugar. But smoking is the certified A1 health destroyer.  These folk like to comfort themselves with references to the longevity of noted bon viveurs like Winston Churchill and statements along the lines of 'I would rather enjoy life and if the fags or drink knock a few years off it so be it'. They fondly imagine themselves 'keeling over' one day, ideally after enjoying a good lunch with friends. This does happen to the odd lucky ones, but more often than not the reality is sucumbing to various illnesses, a long decline and a miserable existence, to say nothing of the drain on healthcare resources.