Letter: Secondhand smoke is a proven killer

Monday, June 26, 2006 | 7:12 a.m.

Isn't it time we quit kidding ourselves about secondhand smoke, which is responsible for approximately 38,000 deaths yearly? It's common knowledge that if tobacco just came on the scene, the FDA would ban it immediately. Nicotine is an addicting drug that kills both smokers and nonsmokers.

As someone who once smoked, can anyone else "honestly" list the positive benefits derived from smoking? Are smokers so concerned about losing their precious freedom to smoke that they ignore the fact that it is killing them and those around them? How stupid and selfish is that?

Stop and think about it. If someone was strangling you, would you continue to allow it? That is what smoke is doing to us. Each inhalation of smoke coats our lungs and reduces our body's ability to take in needed air that is a necessity to sustain life. You can't say the same thing for smoking, can you? Are we more concerned with smoking than living? It isn't the freedom to smoke, it's the freedom to breathe. Let's get that clearly understood.

Nicotine addiction seems to weaken our ability to think clearly. There is no justification to continue smoking. Are we too weak to quit? If so, let's get help. Look at it as helping not just yourselves but those around us. We all benefit from breathing clean air; children, smokers and nonsmokers alike. Positive action is needed now.

Martin McColly, Las Vegas