Tuesday, July 10, 2007

What kind of cure is this?

Some guy named David Harsanyi has his knickers in a knot because major news organizations won't tell you that smoking somehow lowers your risk of Parkinson's disease. Andrew Sullivan seems to have rather uncritically picked on up on this post and linked to Harsanyi.

I have to say that I tend roll my eyes at the cliche of "politically incorrect" information that "they" are keeping from you. I suspect that what is really keeping this out of the headlines is the reality that there are far greater risks to smoking that offset this alleged benefit. It's like touting how an increase in the murder rate could be good for the casket industry.

Despite having watched Parkinson's claim my grandfather's life, Harsanyi's magical smoking secret is not going to cause me to stroll down to the convenience store for a pack of smokes. There is no conspiracy here, David, it's just that most people know a bad bargain when they see it.

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