Actually, some high school kids do die from heart attacks (smoking and obesity related). But unless the population of the United States is comprised of all highschool kids, then 1000's is refering to the population as a whole which includes a lot of people over the age of 16. I assure you those numbers aren't made up. I was in the profession I said I was in and I'm not going to degrade the hard work I put into that profession by making up numbers. PM me if you want my credentials, website, research data, etc. I will happily hand it over as it is public information at the University I worked at. Otherwise don't make accusations without facts.

I see your perspective but it's not a valid comparisson; red meat, alcohol vs smoking. Smoking effects more than just the user, it effects people around. Smokers comprimise their own health as well as others around them. If you're at the other dinner table sawing away at a t-bone, it's not going to directly effect anyone exept you. If you're taking shots of Captain Morgan, it's not going to directly effect anyone but you. Eating red meat once in a while is not nearly as harmful to your health as smoking a cigarette once in a while. Having a drink here and there isn't going to give you serious problems. But to answer your question about red meat and alcohol, perhaps a more thorough examination could determine if one is fit to fly with a chronic redmeat eating habit and alcohol problem.

Do you think it's a good idea to smoke? Is there a pro with smoking you would like to share? The health effects (heart disease) of smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the US right now. Prevetable death! In simple terms, that means that you can prevent bad things from happening to you if you stop! Do you want bad things to happen to you? I would certainly hope not.

And once again, if a non-smoking policy is going to save the company money, that just may be potential to have more money stamped on your paycheck. Don't you want more money? Maybe it's just me, but that seems like a no brainer. If I smoked, I would quit anyway just to keep my job at Alaska and to keep the company I work for looking more professional. While Alaskas policy isn't going to solve the smoking problem completely, it's certainly a positive start.

I worked in a smoking cessation clinic for 3 months and we had a 95% success rate. I'm not going to give up. No medical if you smoke; That's just one man's opinion.


edit: and I just now saw your last post. Lo Siento, amigo. I understand where you are coming from, however I can never justify advocating poor health habits to a pilot.