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>>> IT IS NO SECRET THAT SMOKING
IS BAD FOR YOU, BUT TONIGHT WE
ARE LEARNING IT'S EVEN DEADLIER
THAN WE ALL THOUGHT.
EVEN THOUGH FEWER PEOPLE ARE
LIGHTING UP.
A NEW REPORT FROM THE SURGEON
GENERAL HAS SHOWN THAT SMOKING
KILLS 430 MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR.
PLUS, CIGARETTES ARE NOW LINKED
TO DISEASES LIKE DIABETES,
ARTHRITIS, EVEN ERECTILE
DYSFUNCTION.
NEW YORK CITY HAS SOME OF THE
TOUGHEST SMOKING LAWS IN THE
COUNTRY.
WE'RE JOINED BY THE CITY'S
HEALTH COMMISSIONER, DR. THOMAS
FARLY.
DOCTOR, THANK YOU.
WHAT'S BEHIND THE RISE IN THIS,
THE DEATHS?
IS IT BECAUSE SMOKING, I DON'T
KNOW, HAS FOR SOME REASON BECOME
LETHAL OR JUST BECAUSE OF NEW
RESEARCH?
>> FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE NOW 50
YEARS FROM THE INITIAL SURGEON'S
GENERAL REPORT THAT SAYS SMOKING
CAUSES LUNG CANCER.
SINCE THAT TIME THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE HAS GONE UP NOT BECAUSE
CIGARETTES ARE ANY WORSE,
THEY'RE JUST AS BAD AS THEY USED
TO BE, BUT BECAUSE WE KNOW MORE
ABOUT SMOKING.
WE KNOW IT CAUSES OTHER DISEASES
THAN BEFORE, LIVER CANCER, COLON
CANCER.
DIABETES IS A VERY COMMON
DISEASE.
>> IT'S RESEARCH, AS I SAID.
WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT?
>> RIGHT.
>> NEW YORK CITY, YOU WATCH THE
TELEVISION AND YOU CAN'T HELP
BUT SEE THE COMMERCIALS.
THEY'RE VERY GRAPHIC TRYING TO
GET PEOPLE TO GET OFF OF
TOBACCO.
LET'S LOOK AND THEN WE'LL TALK
ABOUT IT.
>> YEAH.
>> I'VE HAD ABOUT I WOULD SAY
BETWEEN 17 AND 20 AMPUTATIONS.
>> I USED TO PAINT MY OWN HOUSE.
>> I CAN'T HANG UP MY OWN
PICTURES.
>> THE LIGHT IN MY HOUSE BLEW
OUT AND I CAN'T CHANGE IT
BECAUSE I HAVE NO FINGERTIPS.
>>> THERE'S A GOVERNMENT REPORT
THAT ESTIMATES THAT BY 2050
SMOKING WILL BE AS HIGH AS 15%.
DO YOU THINK THE ADS ARE
EFFECTIVE OR THEY TURN PEOPLE
OFF?
>> THESE ADS WORK.
WE USED THEM IN NEW YORK CITY
BECAUSE WE DEVELOPED THEM WITH
SMOKERS WHO TELL US WHAT SPEAKS
TO THEM.
THEY LIKE THE MEDICALLY
ACCURATE, VERY TOUGH, VERY
EMOTIONAL ADS.
THERE'S GOOD RESEARCH THAT SHOWS
PEOPLE WILL QUIT.
>> WHAT ELSE CAN THE GOVERNMENT
DO TO GET PEOPLE TO STOP SMOKING
OR NEVER PICK IT UP.
ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT THE
GOVERNMENT CAN DO?
>> THERE ARE THINGS THAT THE FDA
CAN DO.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CAN SET UP A
SYSTEM CALLED TRACK AND TRACE TO
FIND OUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
SMUGGLING CIGARETTES TO AVOID
THE HIGH TAXES.
HIGH TAXES, WE KNOW, REDUCE
SMOKING RATES BY MAKING THE
PRICE HIGH SO THAT TEENAGERS
DON'T START IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THEY CAN ALSO BAN THE USE OF
MENTHOL IN CIGARETTES.
ONE THING WE KNOW IS MENTHOL
MAKES CIGARETTES EVEN MORE
ADDICTIVE.
IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR TEENAGERS
TO START SMOKING.
>> YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
TEENAGERS.
NOW YOU WANT TO RAISE THE AGE TO
21.
>> IN NEW YORK CITY WE'VE RAISED
THE LEGAL SALES AGE.
>> PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT
BECAUSE YOU STOPPED SMOKING IN
ALL PUBLIC PLACES.
NEW YORK WAS AMONG THE FIRST.
NOW RAISING THE AGE.
THEY'RE SAYING, HEY, THIS IS A
NANNY STATE.
EVEN IF IT'S BAD, SHOULDN'T WE
BE ABLE TO CHOOSE.
>> PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE IF THEY
WANT TO SMOKE OR NOT.
I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT EASIER FOR PEOPLE
NOT TO SMOKE.