Voices

The lessons of tobacco policy

HINSDALE, N.H. — Smoking was once common in the public square - in restaurants, on airlines, in parks, everywhere.

Then the health risks (not just to the smoker but to others around the smoker) were made public. After that, smoking was banned everywhere, because it is a public health hazard.

The author is onto something here - albeit misapplying the concept to cars.

Why not take the approach to banning smoking and apply that to public drug use? Put up signs and outright forbid it, because it's a public health hazard.

We cannot stop people from smoking or using drugs at home. But if If we are as hard on drug users as we are on smokers, we'll see a lot less drug use.

This Voices Letters from readers was submitted to The Commons.

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