Yesterday, in Part 1, I pointed out that the ignorance we once had about the medical benefits of marijuana equates to the ignorance we still have about the medical benefits of smoking tobacco. I related the results of new studies that show the connection between nicotine and ADHD, a growing problem among our children.

The questions I want to raise here are:

• Is it coincidence that the rise of ADHD corresponds with the decrease in smoking?
• Is it coincidence that the rise in Alzheimer's corresponds with the decrease in smoking?
• Is it coindicence that the rise in obesity corresponds with the decrease in smoking?

We know that all 3 of these problems are positively affected by smoking, and that they've all increased as the percentage of smokers has dropped from approximately 50% to 25% of the population. It's no stretch to think that there may be cause and effect involved, not just coincidence.

I know from personal experience that people acquire habits for reasons. I also know that people smoke cigarettes (or eat chocolate or pastries, or drink coffee or booze) because those actions have some result that they like. People will do what makes them feel better. That's called self-medication and it's a fact of life. When people happen across something that makes them feel better, they latch on to it if they can, no matter what science or society says. As long as the positive effects outweigh any negative effects, they're likely to continue to use it. If I'm schizophrenic, and smoking alleviates that problem... and stopping smoking causes the problem to get worse, I'm probably going to smoke, even if I believe that it's unhealthy. Others are going to view me as addicted, aren't they?

Our societal norms have been completely off-base many, many times in the past, and they're off again in relation to cigarette smoking. When so many people have to tell so many bald-faced lies about it, it should make all of us suspicious. While cigarette taxes have raised prices enormously... while public condemnation has become so offensive, and millions of people still continue to smoke, only an idiot would not be suspicious that there is something here that we just don't understand.

The real danger to all of us is that we will allow the anti-tobacco organizations to inflict such fear on us, for their own financial gain, that we will never discover the truth. It's more than possible that they've already condemned a great many people to the suffering of ADHD, Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, obesity and other problems.

If I've raised your suspicions enough to make you more curious, take a look at the results of just some of the research that has been done about smoking. Believe me, if it weren't verboten to say anything good about smoking, we would have heard a lot more positive results.

There is NO adverse health effect from secondhand smoke (fact) and no scientific evidence of danger from smoking itself. If you believe otherwise, take the time to find the evidence and send it to me. If it's scientific and honest, I'll publish it. I don't really give a whit what the truth turns out be... I just want to see us have enough honesty to really find the truth instead of being bamboozled by lies. Don't bother with "proof" from the FDA... they've already been publicly castigated in court for flagrant falsification of such data. Their credibility is, unfortunately, zero.

I'm not suggesting that anyone should smoke. That's a individual, personal decision. Smoking has been a whipping-boy to such an extent that it has affected research into the real causes of some medical problems. That affects all of us adversely, and it's a direct result of individuals and organizations promoting their own financial agendas through propagation of fear.

The Truth IS out there... all we have to do is have the honesty to look.