Some companies seduce with discounts on clothing and household items. Teens especially need countervailing messages and education. Many have a positive image of smoking and believe more peers smoke than actually do. Most smokers say they want to quit. A congressional proposal to expand access to cessation services through Medicaid and Medicare is a sensible idea.
Smoking is more prevalent among poor people.
And legislation to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco deserves another shot. A previous regulation was tossed out by the U.S. Supreme Court. The news on smoking isn't all bad. A separate report this month indicates that banishing smokers from public places is reducing the risk of cancer. Secondhand smoke, the by-product of smokers exhaling or cigarettes burning, causes about 40,000 deaths in nonsmokers each year, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.