Sorry, not buying it. The hazards of smoking are so well known that no one can say, "Oh, I didn't realize smoking was so bad for you."

You guys should have been around during my father's last hours. If you saw what cancer does to people before they die, you might never smoke again. Same for emphysema. Horrific diseases and both KNOWN to be caused by tobacco use.

As for the 'not in control' when flying argument, that's true, but the people who ARE in control are highly-trained professionals who don't want to die any more than you do. Your odds of going a lifetime as a frequent flier without getting so much as a scratch are clearly far better than the odds of living a long, healthy life while sucking cancer sticks.

Smokers stink - literally. If you're a smoker and you think otherwise, it's because you're used to the stench. I know this because both my parents smoked and it was only after I moved out that the realization hit me that they and their home reeked. To their credit, they both ultimately quit.

It's also BS that in an 8-hour workday smokers are taking 4 or 5 extra breaks of 10-15 minutes each. That's at least an hour a day so figure half a workday a week outside puffing while others pick up the slack. Utter horses**t.

And ever notice that women may be shown in ads or movies holding cigarettes but are rarely shown taking a drag? That's because the ugliest woman in the world is one with a cigarette in her mouth.

I mean no offense, and I understand it's not just an easy choice to quit, but that's the hard truth, at least from where I sit.