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William H. Foege, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1990;264(12):1580.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

TWO BASIC factors explain why tobacco causes so much suffering and early death, and why that trend is getting worse for most of the world, as demonstrated in this issue of JAMA. Those factors are addiction and greed.

Addiction to tobacco has become better understood in recent years. It is a powerful force that often negates the best intentions of even the most independent, self-reliant, and self-disciplined of people. Accurate knowledge, good intentions, and determined resolutions each night dissolve in a reflex puff of smoke in the morning. Despite the statements of the tobacco industry and the decisions by some legal jurisdictions, free will is not within the power of most smokers, and an affirmative choice is not possible each day. The window of free will, for most smokers, is short, usually early in life before what is thought of as the age of consent, and exercised in an atmosphere . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From The Carter Center of Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to The Carter Center of Emory University, One Copenhill NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 (Dr Foege).

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