When I was young many, many years ago, the attitude about tobacco and cigarettes was very different than it is now. This is (mostly) a good thing.

The late 50s and early sixties were very tobacco-friendly times. Cigarette commercials were ubiquitous, even during the afternoon during sporting events, and sophisticated characters in the movies and on television smoked. While my parents did not use cigarettes, my father puffed cigars, invariably very cheap brands. I had mixed feelings about this habit (especially when he smoked in the car), although I must say that it was sometimes comforting to smell a cigar and know that dad was home.

Even after the first report of the Surgeon General on smoking and health in 1964, there was no immediate widely accepted crusade against smoking. For example, my rather strict Catholic high school allowed smoking at social events and even had a smoking room for seniors. I remember visiting the new Madison Square Garden in 1968 and sitting in the upper deck over which there was a huge cloud of smoke.

Perhaps a turning point against smoking occurred in 1971 when broadcast advertisements for cigarettes were banned and the Marlboro Man and his many competitors finally rode off into the sunset. The pace of change was uneven as smoking began to be banned in many places in open and then private offices, in sports arenas, in restaurants and most recently in New York State, in bars. On a separate front, tobacco companies became the targets of multibillion dollar litigation. Smokers, no longer the trendy group of 40 years ago, are now often huddled together in front of office buildings and bars on cold days.

I believe this is mostly a desirable trend. As I have told young Robert, smoking, in addition to being a waste of money, is a bad habit that puts users at risk of many very serious health conditions, including heart disease and lung cancer. Discouraging tobacco use brings social benefits like longevity and greater quality of life in the population. On a far less cosmic note, I prefer leaving a restaurant or bar without smelling like a chimney.

On the other hand, I confess to being a little conflicted. The reason has nothing to do with being a smoker. In college, I a smoked a few cigarettes a month, but never got hooked, and I doubt I have put a cigarette in my mouth in 20 years. Once in a blue moon, I have smoked cigars with guys to celebrate an event, but even that has not happened recently.

I'm conflicted because I think that most people who smoke really don't want to do so, and that a certain compassion is in order for individuals suffering from an addiction, rather than the all too prevalent self-riteousness of nonsmokers. Second, I get a little nervous about the health police aspect of the antismoking campaign. Life is short and a certain number of products for adults have long been tolerated even if it may not be good for them, and even if there is some possible way that others can be harmed by the use of the product. Alcohol is a classic example, but excessive use of sugar, salt or butter can also create detriment to society by driving up its health costs.

I am glad that cigarette use is diminishing and it would be great if smoking were a thing of the past in a few generations. It would be even better, however, if the sanctimony could dissipate along with the smoke.