Featuring the author John Staddon, James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Professor of Biology and Neurobiology, Emeritus, Duke University; moderated by David Boaz, Executive Vice President, Cato Institute.
Smoking is risky for smokers, but is it bad for the rest of us?
Science says no. Those who die from smoking tend to die close to
retirement age. Lifetime medical costs for smokers are less than
for nonsmokers. The risk to others of secondhand smoke is
impossible to measure and is probably negligible. In short, smokers
are not a public cost. So why are they over-taxed, dissed, and
discriminated against in so many ways? A good question, examined at
length in Unlucky Strike by John Staddon, author of more
than 200 scientific papers, with original illustrations by the
renowned artist David Hockney.
