Sometimes I find it hard to believe people are this ignorant. How you even bundled military recruitment with cigarettes is beyond comprehension.

The military is not lying about the welfare of your life, you know full well if we have a a war or conflict you can be called to duty and placed in a life and or death scenario.

Cigarette manufacturers on the other hand have tainted and hidden the true affects of smoking and or chewing tobacco then and to this day.

What an idiot...How can you equate advertising a product for a profit to asking someone to serve their country. Tobacco companies have for years, glamorized smoking, secretly put ingredients in their product meant to cause addiction, and have targeted young people in order to get them hooked sooner. They have know for at least a century and a half that tobacco and the related chemicals produced from burning it are deadly - not only to those who smoke but to second hand victims as well. But like I said, only an idiot would suggest such a comparision.

As a Vietnam vet and a 40+ year smoker, I believe I am qualified to comment on both. I am not against our military or defending this country. What I am against is the politically correct nanny state it is becoming. If you don't already know that smoking is bad for your health, you are a fool. I don't need the government treating me like a child because I chose to continue.

Screw the tobacco companies, it's not about them. It's about the nanny state that wants to tell you how to live your life, then enforce it if you don't comply.

Great post! And it is the same principle. Certainly being in the military is a hazardous activity for young people and results in death. Truth in advertising is truth in advertising. The latest round of wars have been presented to us in a sanitized way.

They can put Pirates, ninjas or terrorists on the packs for all I care. I just want smokes to be affordable again. $7.50 a pack is an insult $9.50 in NY is an abomination. You can buy smokes for 30 cents a pack in third world countries.

It is totally necessary to continue spreading the lies about tobacco. Tobacco is the perfect escape goat for all of the toxins that are released into the air and water.
One of the very first things an attorney will ask someone that has brought litigation against a company for exposing them to carcinogens is " have you ever smoked or used tobacco"

You will never convince the heard of sheep that blindly believes all of garbage that is feed to them by people who have a vested interests in the statics, research and Big Business that most of the cancers are caused by other sources other than tobacco
.
One example I see used often that they use to prove tobacco causes cancer is that the American Eskimo did not have lung cancer until the white man introduced them to tobacco. But they fail to tell you that at the same time they were introduced to coal oil that was used in lamps which were used in small enclosed areas. Coal tar products are so carcinogenic that most have been totally banned.

Hey Fed guys, if smoking is that evil, why don't you just do the obvious and ban it. Oh....you say big tobacco is a huge cash cow for Washington and the trial lawyers as well....oh, I see. Well, carry on.

..If the FDA is going to play nanny to all us adults, shouldn't there be the same kind of graphic warnings on alcoholic beverages, 100s of prescription drugs that can cause kidney, liver, stroke and heart failure, or 'high fructose corn syrup' science has linked directly to obesity and diabetes in 1 out of 3 Americans, and possibly ADHD in1 out of 10 children.?..........Why the hell doesn't the FDA fruit cakes just stick to inspecting and banning drugs and food that have been proven to pose an immediate threat to the health of the populace.

My Grandpa smoked a pipe until dying at 90, an uncle smoked cicarettes until dying at 94........There has never been one single autopsy that listed cigarette smoke alone as the cause of death, we are surrounded by toxins and other things that can cause cancer, stroke or death,.................It is time the FDA provides whatever information is available on whatever and let adults make their own choices as is indicative of free people

As much as I hate cigarettes, I completely agree with you Ellis. It's NOT a surprise that they are bad and can/will kill you, we ALL KNOW THIS now. The government needs to stop trying to control every aspect of our lives, we don't need them in this. As long as we have the information we don't need to be bombarded every second of our lives with what we should and should not do with things that are legal.

My dad died at the age of 44 from smoking, that's something that I'll never forget. I told my husband before we started dating that if he smoked he would not be in my life. People have to make their own decisions, these pictures won't do anything.

Interesting.......my great Uncle started smoking at the age of ten......he chain smoked non-filter Pall Malls so much that the tips of his first two fingers on his right hand were BLACK! He also played a fiddle in a square dance band twice a week.......died of a stroke at 96.......damn cigarettes!

And let's not forget the hypocrites in DC provide tobacco farmers with subsidies.

Um, actually- the large "sin" tax on cigarettes is one of the most effective ways to keep kids from smoking.

Because kids can't afford anything, not after taking first rounds at the hip mall where you get your smartphone, your name brand clothing, your new car, your flat screen, etc etc

How true, nothing like profiting from an addiction that can be as strong as heroin, gotta keep the cash flow goin though.

Jenn- your point seems to be:

1. Either kids can't afford cigarettes at all, or

2. If they can afford them, even if they are seriously expensive and would mean not being able to afford other things they might want, they will purchase them regardless of price

This is a false dichotomy= logic fail

My kids didn't have jobs at one point and they still managed to get cigarettes. Making them expensive just makes them all the more taboo and a definite must have.

The government isn't interested in making people quit smoking. It's interested in making you think they are concerned. If you die, they can simply say "Hey, we warned you". However, the revenue the government gets from cigarettes speaks for itself.

You may be on to something, Rich. All the smokers that are in hospice and on their death beds may enjoy passing their final days by collecting the trading cards. Maybe the graphic trading cards will give them some kind of comfort as they die a slow and painful death caused by years of smoking those nasty cancer sticks. What a brilliant idea, Rich.

Actually, I think it's a great idea.

I'll be collecting and trading.

Anybody who smokes and doesn't realize the damage it does is a fool.

Got news for you. If the smoking doesn't get you, the smog, water, fatty foods, (fill in your vice) will.

Folks need to stop being so uptight and enjoy life.

You can't escape that sudden stop at the end no matter how hard you try to avoid the fall.

May as well include trading cards in condoms too. I have herpes cards, anyone have syphilis they want to trade?

And when this latest ill conceived ludicrous attempt fails to gain any traction, what’s next? What they won’t do is make cigarettes illegal because they’ve become addicted to the taxes they generate.

Better yet, have the bags the food is placed in shaped like huge large asses.

Let's have some fat people on the McD's commercials too. What's with all these trim people advertising McD's?

Nice try but unfortunately smoking is a risk which the user doesn't take on alone. When you ride a bike w/o a helmet and you crash YOU get hurt. When you consume fast/junk food it only affects YOUR health. When you smoke INNOCENT people also suffer from "your" risk by way of second-hand smoke/disease, the environment suffers from your garbage.. ie cigarette butts, other people near you have to breath that crap in and put up with the STENCH and the SMOKE and the residue from the tar/nicotine.

I went out to a concert the other night and then spent 2 days in bed recovering from the ill effects of having to be in a room w/people puffing their cancersticks into the atmosphere contaminating the air so bad I could barely breathe or see. Not only did i REEK to the point where it was making me physically ill on the way home... I BECAME physically ill from inhaling all those carcinogens all night long tp the point where I was nauseous, had trouble breathing because of inflamed sinuses and was coughing up phlegm for 3 days . I think I have the right to be able to go enjoy myself in a public place or ANY place without having to suffer from the passed on effects of someone else's RISK !!

But when your risks infringe upon the rights of others and harm others then they should be banned or discouraged. The only thing keeping cigarrettes legal (alcohol as well) is the fact that it's been a part of our culture since before our culture existed. Marijuana and cocaine are not parts of our original culture and have been illegal for a very long time. Plus teh side effects of a cigarette wont cause you to go out and kill someone or yourself by driving high. If a doctor smokes a cigarette before surgery he's not likely to cut of your good testicle instead of the one that's cancerous. Would you take that chance with a doctor who just smoked a big dooby?

@law... it's obvious you've never smoked a big dooby because you haven't a CLUE what you're talking about. Not everyone who smokes pot gets "high" in the sense that you imagine or even at all. For most people who smoke pot regularly they get a sense of calm, relaxation and intense concentration and direction. I'll bet you don't even realize that most "regular consumers" do some of their best and most ingenious work while "high" because it gives one the ability to FOCUS and CONCENTRATE and it also greatly enhances creativity and the ability to think in ways that are outside of the normal parameters ... ie thinking outside the box. I'm talking about serious inventors, researchers, literary writers, song writers, artists etc.

YOu seriously need to go light up a fat one and chill out. You've been listening to the big Propaganda Machine. I'll bet you put Reefer Madness in your favorites list on Netflix.

That is so full of crap SMC31569 - For the amount of second hand smoke inhaled walking by a person, the rist is minimal at best. Same could be said for all the cars, trucks and busses on the street spewing out carbon monixide poisoning!!! Ever hear of smog?????? The government needs to deal with more important @!$%# then whether or not someone smokes. WTF!!!!

Yes Tony. Completely agree. And most non-smokers assume that all smokers are evil people that are trying to kill everyone with their second hand smoke... When the reality is, smokers are very aware when a non-smoker is present and try their d@mndest NOT to be in their presence at all while smoking. If one wants to ban smoking cigarettes, then we should either make them buy an electric vehicle, ride a bike, or just take their car away... Why not? It's just as bad for the environment... Or, lets just shut down all places that produce plastic products and steel mills while we're at it... How about taking all the bakers and putting them out of business with their flour and powdered sugars that are slowly killing their employees because ANY FOREIGN SUBSTANCE IN THE LUNGS CAN (and probably will eventually) CAUSE LUNG CANCER!!!

Agreed to a point MsAubrey. I have on multiple occasions walked outside where smokers loiter at doors and blow smoke in that direction. Standing at the bus stop I have had a few smokers intentionally blow smoke in my direction, even when I tried to give a discreet cough.

Banning cigarettes is just as silly as saying all non-smokers assume that smokers are evil, even with my experience I don't think smoking is evil or good. Banning cigarettes wouldn't make them go away either, it'd just end up like marijuana, illegal but still used.

I didn't say ALL non-smokers... Just like I agree not ALL smokers are 'nice' smokers. We smokers sure do get a lot of flack whether or not we do 'the right thing' by non-smokers.

I disagree... health coverage should be DENIED to smokers because they willingly take on the risk either out of arrogance or ignorance. The cost of treated smoking-related illness is astronomical and increases the costs of health care for EVERYONE.

You wanna play... you gotta play. I'm sure the hell not going to pay for your stupidity/arrogance.

If you are gonna use that measuring stick, then people who drive cars should have health coverage denied, as well as people who overeat, people who sky-dive, people who ride motorcycles, people who WALK DOWN THE STREET!!! Life is a risk, people do dangerous things every day, just because YOU don't like something, doesn't mean health coverage should be denied to the person doing it. What about the costs of diabetes and heart disease cause by inactivity & overeating? What are you gonna do about that? Guess we shouldn't cover those people either. And besides, you're already paying for the illegal aliens to have health care, you would deny coverage to hard working Americans just because they are doing something you don't approve of? Get off your high-horse....

IMO any illness/disease that's directly caused by one's lack of taking the responsibility to eat and live healthy should be denied. You're being completely asinine talking about people who drive cars seeing as that's a risk that almost everyone is involved in and it's covered by it's own insurance. But there are many companies that deny coverage to people in high risk occupations or who have high risk hobbies. And they rightly should.

Why should anyone approve of the self-destructive, irresponsible behavior of people that that have so little regard for themselves or others that ends up increasing health care costs for those of use that ARE responsible ?

Sheep, I agree that the air in LA is bad, that's one of the many reasons why I don't live there. However, it's not cancer that's gaurenteed with smoking, it's emphysema. I had to watch my father die a slow, miserable, agonizing death from emphysema caused by smoking most of his life. No child should have to watch their parent die that way. He lingered for the last two years, home bound, in a wheel chair with constant oxygen, gurgling, coughing and gasping for every breath. You have a right to smoke. But your family should not have to watch you die that way. Remember my story when you are finally diagnosed and good luck to you when it happens.

When you get cirossis of the liver from your nightly drink SMC31569 - nobody will pay for your health care either, since you knew the risk of drinking as you were putting the glass to your lips!

savickconn -

Emphysema is not guaranteed. My great-grandfather smoked for over 70 years. He had no lung issues.

That is brilliant! I like "Do you know how nasty you smell when you smoke?" and "You look like a moron and social outcast when you smoke."

Hey Kim and all you other antis out there. Maybee you are the social misfits of society that oviously have nothing better to do with their time then to rag about smoking. Got news for you you are going to die of something Maybe Cancer or heart disease. Get off your banwagon and get a life.

MsAubrey

A picture isn't going to change a thing.

But it does give a bureaucracy something to do, and when smoking levels continue to decrease as the average American becomes more concerned with their personal health (and due to the cost of the habit), they can point to this program as the reason.

Good point. They'll be patting themselves on the back and in reality it has NOTHING to do with a few pictures.

I wonder if cancer treatment is cheaper in Vietnam?

Kim Get a life!

Oh, don't worry, they get to it. They just can't pick too many fights at a time. We, as a population, are just giving them more and more power over our lives. I was born in a free country, and I will die in a country I can't even recognize. I used to smoke but have been smoke free for almost a year. Toughest thing I have ever done and still want one most days to the point that I have to physically force myself not to do so. It is not an easy habit to break (as i tried sevral times prior to this) and a lot of people, believe it or not, actually enjoy smoking. You like a drink at the end of the day, some like a smoke. You like to high adrenaline physical activity like mountain climbing, racing, sky diving, some just enjoy a smoke. All are dangerous activities. Some would say just living in Los Angeles is a dangerous activity. What next, you know that neighborhood is unsafe and you could be physically injured. MOVE. Our government has gotten to the point of ridiculousness with their ever encroaching presence in our lives. I feel sorry for the children growing up on this world who won't know what true freedom is.