This thread is now closed, as it is not producing anything positive anymore. Bottom line is we are all responsible for our actions be it as a driver, smoker, consumer of junk foods, and so much more. That bad choices in many areas of our lives are going to come back to bite us is not a revelation. We are getting fatter as a nation, and because of that we have coronary and other health issues mounting. This is only one of many lifestyle choices that leads to bad health. The list is long, but it is all around us.

We should be involved in tobacco awareness and cessation as oral cancer survivors and patients. But that awareness is lost on people who are already part of our family here. We need more people educating our kids before they start, (outdoortexan kind of work) a government that will finally get this poison off our streets instead of being more interested in making money from this highly profitable crop, that is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in our country and around the world we export to. If we become strong anti tobacco advocates in the public arena with our stories it does good, if we beat each other up here it does nothing. Revelation at a point in life where you cannot undo the problem you now recognize is particularly painful. I would prefer this board not become a vehicle to add to that pain.