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Don’t start chewing, just stop smoking

Re: “Stop Smoking, Chew Tobacco” Jan. 6, 2010

To the editor:

The Gazette suggested students chew tobacco instead of quit smoking because the latter is unrealistic. It is shocking to see such a suggestion being made in a university newspaper.

Chewing tobacco has been shown to cause oral and throat cancer according to research. Why not suggest smokers cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke instead?

Quitting smoking is not impossible, nor is it a ridiculous New Year’s resolution. There are so many resources on campus to help students quit smoking. Leave the Pack Behind is running a contest soon. This can be an amazing opportunity and can provide excellent motivation for smokers to quit or cut down on smoking since the grand prize is a $1,000 tuition waiver.

To all the smokers out there, quitting smoking is not impossible. There are many resources out there if you look [but] chewing tobacco is not a smart alternative.

—Angel Fu
Biology II

Ed note: Usually the Gazette deters from using sarcasm in print, since it can be difficult to pick up without voice intonation. We thought we were safe when we outrageously recommended students chew tobacco. Apparently not. Thank goodness for biology students.

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