‘In Defense of Smokers’
I have been reading a very interesting book, “In Defense of Smokers!” written by Lauren A. Colby of Frederick, Md.
"In Defense of Smokers"
Colby wrote the book in 2003, so I contacted him via email to see if he continues to support his findings and his book.
“If I had time to re-write the book, I’d be much more definitive and would conclude, on the basis of the recent evidence, that smoking is entirely harmless. In the intervening years, however, I have become sort of an elder statesman among lawyers representing the radio broadcast industry and really don’t have time to pursue my hobbies.”
That is his quick answer. The longer version is that we should go to his website In Defense of Smokers to find updates to the original work.
“These updates include references to recent demographic studies which show that countries with the highest rates of smoking have the longest life expectancies and lowest rates of lung cancer; that animal experiments, conducted during the Clinton administration, continue to be negative (i.e., massive exposure to tobacco smoke doesn’t harm the animals); and that lung cancer rates in Los Angeles, Miami and New York are declining because of Hispanic and Asian immigration.”
Chapter 7 is one of the intriguing sections in Colby’s book. Here you will find a discussion and revelations about the Surgeon General’s Reports on
Smoking from 1964-1982.
“The 1964 Report was issued by a committee of ten “scientists”, picked from a list of 150 scientists and physicians, heavily weighted towards government agencies and large organizations active in public relations, with a low representation from the scientific community. There were no statisticians on the panel, although statistical expertise was essential to a proper analysis of the epidemiological studies, which formed a large part of the “evidence” which was studied. In 1965, a prominent statistician, K.A. Brownlee, of the University of Chicago, wrote a scathing review of the Report, pointing to many discrepancies in the statistical data. I will refer to that later.”
This book is a must read for any pipe smoker, or smoker for that matter.
It is on Colby’s website in full. I can’t recommend this too highly. It has all the details, the lies, the misconceptions, the methods in which the federal government shades the truth to put forth its own “truths.”
To be informed is to be forewarned. I believe in having all the information available, and making up my own mind.
My fellow brothers of the briar go to Colby’s website, read what he has written. It will open your eyes as never before.
My plan is to write more, using Colby’s work, and others, as sources for some astounding news that left out of the equations in news media accounts concerning tobacco.