"1 in 3 youth who smoke die prematurely"

I'm not at ALL for smoking. I won't touch cigarettes, etc myself and I don't particularly like the smell when I, or my husband, have been somewhere with smokers and it gets all over our clothes, etc.

However... the crusade against them has gotten to the pitch that I could not consider myself anti-smoke either. I won't vote to increase taxes on them, or to force business to be no smoking. And I get really annoyed at this ad on the side of the city buses.

For example, what do they mean by dying prematurely? Dying of something other than old age? Don't they realize that a great number of people, smoking or not, do this? Living is hazardous to your health. And nothing you do is going to extend your life one day past the time God has allotted to you.

As far as I'm concerned, there are MUCH better reasons to use to convince teens not to smoke:
1. The smell clings to you and will discourage others from wanting to be around you.
2. Cigarettes are EXPENSIVE. Surely there are toys and necessities you'd rather spend that money on?
3. Your body is a temple of the Lord. Do only that to it which would be pleasing to Him.