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[Surgeon General’s Warning: Some graphics in this post have been Photoshopped!]
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Yesterday the FDA announced a new round of scary packaging for cigarettes as a way to curb smoking.
“Times” Story: http://tinyurl.com/super-gore-smokes
(Presumably the same labeling will apply to recreational marijuana if it comes to that, although I expect the marijuana lobby to respond with research demonstrating that pot smoke is chock full of healthful nutrients.)
And what about gambling? Like smoking, gambling is a serious addiction that harms thousands of Washingtonians every year. To be precise:
Problem Gambling is a serious health issue affecting between 80,000 and 160,000 Washington State residents-or, 2 to 4 percent of adults and up to 8 percent of adolescents and young adults. The percentage may seem small, but the harm reaches far beyond the Problem Gambler. It is estimated that for every Problem Gambler seven people-wives, husbands, children, other family members, friends, employers, etc.-are harmed by gambling addiction (in Washington, between 560,000 and 1.12 million people). Research has shown that Problem Gamblers have a higher rate of suicide than people struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. Symptoms of problem gambling include severe debt, hiding gambling activity, lying, borrowing, stealing, stress, broken relationships, depression, aggression, and more. Occasionally, Problem Gamblers have hidden debt from family members and friends until the moment they lose their homes, are forced into bankruptcy, or commit suicide.
Source:
http://www.evergreencpg.org/pages/awareness/general-information.php
So where are there no “scary labels” on Lotto posters, billboards, and other ads — to say nothing of actual lottery tickets and pull tabs? Could it be that Washington state government is dependent on gambling taxes and Lotto like an emphysema sufferer is dependent on an oxygen tank? Could it be that it would hurt less to keep scratching than it would to quit?
Mmmm . . . could be.
If there was real truth in advertising, then here’s what you’d see above every blackjack table and imprinted on every Lotto ticket sold in this state:
–David Preston
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