No Butts About It

Seven workers have lost their jobs for not quitting their smoking habit. 

Weyco, a Michigan company, began it's effort to curb employee smoking in 2003 and implimented it's zero tolerance policy for employees January 1, 2005.  The goal of the company has been to increase employee health while decreasing the costs of employee benefit plans. 

While many in the news are outraged at this turn of events, I support Weyco's decision. 

Cigarette smoke contains 69 cancer causing chemical compounds

Approximately 1 in 5 US death are caused by tobacco products

Every 8 seconds a person dies due to tobacco

1 in 3 smokers die from tobacco use

50,ooo people die each year in the US from secondhand smoke

Smoking causes 445 new cases of lung cancer in the US each day

And Weyco is not demanding that employees kick the habit on their own.  The company offers smoking cessation classes, acupunture and medication reimbursement.  At the moment Weyco is being portrayed as the villain employer, however in the end they may in fact have saved lives.

When told to quit smoking or quit their jobs, which employees do you think made the right decision? (comments enabled)

For more information regarding smoking facts, statistics and how to quit visit; Seek Truth at  http://www.thetruth.com/index.cfm?seek=truth or the American Lung Association at http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22542

Comments

[Kaitlin]

Thankfully, others do support Weyco besides me. Why isn't tobacco illegal? Marijuana is. Because big tobacco had too much leeway with their billions in politics. I don't smoke, why should healthcare be so expensive because others do? I just thought I'd let you know you aren't alone. This website is great, very informative about what matters.