英文短篇故事（纽约）236 How About Banning Cigarettes?

New York State banned the sale of synthetic marijuana today. New York stores have sold the fake pot for about three years. The state will fine anyone who continues to sell the product. Stores marketed it as incense. The brand names included "Spice" and "K2." Chemists create fake pot; users smoke it. Some users have become ill. They've gotten dizzy. They've vomited. They've gotten high blood pressure. Some users have hallucinated. Some have had seizures. Not one user in America has died. "We must remove this drug from the stores and streets," said a NY politician. "We must protect our citizens from harmful drugs like this." A reporter asked, "What about cigarettes? They're harmful. They cause lung cancer. Lung cancer kills more than 2,000 American smokers every week!" The politician said, "We ARE doing something about cigarettes. We tax them. A pack now costs $12. What more can we do?"