Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

The federal government is stepping up its effort to deter people from smoking. The taxes on cigarettes are exorbitant. Now the government is trying to frighten people into abstaining. You know it won't stop there. It won't stop until people are prohibited by law from smoking. Do-gooders cannot sleep until everyone lives as the do-gooders believe they should live. Does anyone seriously believe that these blaring warnings will deter anyone from smoking? Is there anyone out there who doesn't know of the health risks of smoking? People smoke not because they're ignorant of the  risks but in spite of the known risks. Case in point: Barack Obama.