John Oliver reminds us how much we need to quit smoking

by | Feb 16, 2015 | POLITICS

I’ve been smoking since I was 16 (sorry grandma!) and some new science just came out which suggests that act is even worse than we thought before.


I’ve been smoking since I was 16 (sorry grandma!) and some new science just came out which suggests that act is even worse than we thought before.

And who else is better to lay this bad news on us than HBO’s newest success story, John Oliver from Last Week Tonight.

Now before we get reminded how terrible one of our favorite acts is, check out this old song from South Park – sure, smoking kills and hurts and is responsible for rising health care costs and a mess of other things, but who wants to live to be 90 anyway?

Alright, back to reality… a new study came out earlier this month which showed smoking is actually worse for us than we thought before. Here’s details via inquisitr:

Originally, the 21 diseases that were linked to smoking were: mouth cancers, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, laryngeal cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, other heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm, other arterial disease, pneumonia/influenza, tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Eric Jacobs, author of the study and strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society, noted that there were other deadly complications linked to smoking. At least five of the new diseases added to the list were twice more likely to be found in smoking people than they were in nonsmokers.

The new smoking-linked diseases include: infections, breast cancer, prostate cancer, rare cancers, hypertensive heart disease, essential hypertension, all other respiratory diseases, liver cirrhosis, all other digestive diseases, and kidney failure, among others.

Check out John Oliver’s breakdown on why all of our simple smoking fantasies are bullshit:

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in politics

We Are All J6ers Now

There’s now a $1.8 billion federal fund for people who believe they were harmed by the “weaponization” of government over the last few years. According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, there are “no limitations on the claims,” and the program isn’t just for...

RVA 5×5 | Is Targeted Tax Relief Just The First Step?

While running for Mayor in 2024, candidate Avula’s top priority in the “Thriving neighborhoods and affordable housing” section of his platform stated:  As Mayor, he will: Fight displacement of long-term residents and expand the supply of deeply affordable housing for...

Virginia Redistricting Vote Voided, Political Leaders Sound Off

Virginia political leaders are sharply divided following the Supreme Court of Virginia’s decision to strike down a voter-approved redistricting referendum, with Democrats condemning the ruling and Republicans defending it as a necessary enforcement of constitutional...