Harm Reduction vs. Elimination
I'm going on week three of being completely smoke free, after smoking for the previous 8 years. I've tried to quit over a dozen times and I've never been successful. I've used it all -- nicotine patches, gum, and even perscription drugs like Zyban. Say what you will about this, but I've been using Snus (sounds like noose) to get off cigarettes. I can breathe again.
"Gross, you're dipping?"
Not quite. It's a Swedish product that's cured differently than normal American dip. It tastes good and in an unscientific study, kissing me is about the same as a non-smoker. It's also cheaper. A pack of 15 Snus packets costs about $3.50 and lasts about two days. Camel makes two flavors: Mellow and Mint. I prefer the Mellow. Swedish brands come in a bunch of different flavors.
From an interesting NY Times op-ed:
"Eliminate the smoke, and you significantly reduce the risk. Indeed, Dr. Rodu found that a 35-year-old snus user will live on average as long as a 35-year-old who quits nicotine altogether - eight years longer than a smoker. Snus, or snuff, is especially attractive to smokers - who crave nicotine - because it produces nicotine levels comparable to smoking. [...]
The health benefits are impressive. Forty percent of Swedish men use tobacco products, and that is also the rate for men in the other 14 countries in the European Union. Yet Sweden has the lowest rate of lung cancer by far. Why? Largely because of snus, which represents half of all the tobacco that Swedish men use. (The other half smoke.)"
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Police State
Maybe he saw it my eyes when I saw the blue lights on the horizion, or maybe he just knows me too well. "Stephen, don't drag it out. Just cooperate so we can go home," my friend in the passenger seat pleaded.
As I approached the checkpoint, I contemplated my reaction. Any number of responses flew through my head, none of which was cooperation. The Officer approached and I greeted him Good Evening and asked what the purpose of the checkpoint was.
"A safety inspection, sir. Can I see your license?"
Unsatisfied with his answer, I asked, "Do I have to provide my license, sir? Am I being detained?"
His answer was short: "Yes, you must comply."
Leaving me with cooling Wendy's on the floor next to me, and the only option being compliance or spending the night in jail, I whipped out my Georgia license and he shined his flashlight on the cracking plastic. After a walk around my car, I was free to go. I continued on my way, disappointed I hadn't resisted further. My friend complained I was making too big a deal of it.
I did not drive erratically, consume any alcohol, or have an expired tag. My crime was being hungry on a Friday night in Chamblee, Georgia. The Supreme Court has ruled that checkpoints are a seizure within the context of the Fourth Amendment but, on balance, the small infringement of the fourth amendment is acceptable when furthering a worthy goal like reduction in DUI's. That means: the checkpoint in Chamblee was a blatant violation of the Constitution.
Since when are "little" violations to the Constitution acceptable?
193,248 Feet
Longest ride yet today, 36.6 miles from Powder Springs, GA to west of Dallas, GA on the excellent Silver Comet Trail.
