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Trying to protect individuals from themselves does not fit the scope of Congress' powers, and threatens more than smokers.

Fuming Mad

By: Ian McPhail

Posted: 7/2/09

On June 11, the U.S. Senate passed legislation enabling the Food and Drug Administration to impose stricter controls on the manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes.

The government has overreached its authority again by granting itself the power to alter even the taste and names of cigarettes in a noble effort to force citizens to make the right choice regarding health.

This major victory for anti-smoking advocates comes again at the cost of personal liberty for a specific group of Americans, and sets a dangerously important precedent for the future regulation of the choices we are allowed to make as adults.

Rather than mandating that Americans smoke government-approved cigarettes, President Barack Obama and Congress should let people make their own decisions when it comes to the brand of smokes.

Already, anti-smoking supporters have won major political and legal battles in ensuring that their safety is assured. It is entirely reasonable for workspaces and airplanes to demand smokers take their fumes elsewhere.

However, as city and state governments around the country adopt more policies restricting smoking almost anywhere indoors and continues to raise sin taxes to unreasonable levels, it has become apparent that the anti-smoking crowd is not content with simply ensuring a reasonable degree of safety from second-hand smoke.

Anti-tobacco lobbyists have instead started a crusade against choice that begins with complete government control of the tobacco industry.
Beside giving the FDA power to set standards that could reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes, the law bans most tobacco flavorings, such as cloves, considering them a lure to first-time smokers.

A decision on the continued existence of Menthols was deferred for later study, but this sweeping restriction on cigarettes is unreasonable. By eliminating mint, clove and other flavors, the FDA has laid the foundation necessary to alter the taste of tobacco further.

This is only the first step in creating a nationally mandated cigarette so disgusting to the taste that the majority of smokers are coerced to quit.

Any adult who has made the decision to smoke deserve to inhale the flavor of his or her choosing, regardless of the possible effects it may have on soliciting first-time smokers. The fact is that more teens make the decision to smoke based on peer pressure than the pleasant taste of a smoke.

But facts are unimportant to the anti-tobacco lobbyists, who want to eliminate the words "light" and "mild" from cigarettes because they might confuse buyers on the dangers of the product, which now will be printed in larger type on the label. Continually ignored is the fact that smokers know the risks involved with tobacco, and the meaning of the word "light," and simply do not need the government to be involved in making our choice for us.

Tobacco opponents pretend that smokers are too stupid to make better decisions about their health, after being tricked into addiction by an evil cigarette company. This position is wildly inaccurate; enough has been done to educate Americans on the adverse affects of tobacco to ensure every adult knows the risks involved in tobacco.

Adults who decide to ignore consequences to their health without harming others should be allowed to enjoy the cigarette of their choosing without interference from the government. Just as the FDA does not alter the taste of foods that damage heart health in order to protect us against cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 killer in America - so too should it not deny citizens the right to make any other educated decision about our own bodies.

The current powers held by the FDA serve no purpose other than stopping smoking at any cost, which is closer to fascism than freedom.

Ian McPhail is a sophomore history major.