Round One:

Years ago, I traveled extensively outside of this country. I was a smoker then. While on the road, instead of smoking American cigarettes, I smoked brands that were popular in the country I was visiting.

Funny thing, whenever I'd set one of those cigarettes in an ash tray it would stop burning. When I was ready to smoke again, the cigarette needed to be relit. That seemed odd. Left unattended, our American cigarettes burned down to nothing.

What did American tobacco companies put in their cigarettes to make them burn down to nothing? Wasn't it a clever way to sell more cigarettes? A pack of American cigarettes is covered with warnings — where's its list of ingredients?

Round Two:

Years later, I stopped filling my lungs with smoke, chemicals and carcinogens and filled my head with information.

Tobacco companies, lobbyists, advertising agencies and politicians with hidden agendas were all wrapped around a highly addictive, dangerous product. Sing along if you know the tune. "You've come a long way, baby, to get where you got to today. You've got your own cigarette now, baby, you've come a long, long way."

I had smoked my last cigarette. I would no longer play the fool.

Round Three:

This spring, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would give the government powers to regulate tobacco products. The U.S. Senate approved a similar bill. President Obama has signed it into law.

According to the New York Times, this law will give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to control tobacco products, which kill more than 400,000 people each year.

The FDA can set up a Center for Tobacco Products, hire a director and staff and form a scientific advisory committee. It can regulate hazardous chemicals in existing products and require tobacco companies to "disclose previously secret details about ingredients."

We've known for decades that tobacco companies have been getting away with murder. If those words seem too strong, try naming another product that eventually kills half of its regular users.

According to the Times, the FDA can approve or ban proposed new tobacco products. It can further restrict promotion of tobacco products. Terms like "light," "mild" and "low tar" will be prohibited. Flavorings like "clove" will be eliminated.

The FDA will have the option of eliminating menthol. The Times reports that "menthol is used by three-quarters of black smokers, who also have a disproportionate share of lung cancer."

The Final Round:

Lung cancer, "the forgotten cancer," is under funded and under researched. It carries a stigma. We figure that anyone diagnosed with lung cancer has brought it on themselves. We think we are safe if we do not smoke. Think again.

Non-smokers, breathing in secondhand smoke, take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals. Each year, secondhand smoke, a known human carcinogen, is responsible for almost 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults.

This spring, the Texas Legislature chose to ignore this information. They let a bill that had wide support die at the hands of tobacco lobbyists. Our call for a statewide smoking ban in public places could not be heard over the sound of money changing hands.

Twenty-eight cities in this state, including Nacogdoches, already have smoking bans. Maybe one day the Texas Legislature will follow our lead and stop playing the fool for big tobacco. I wonder how many tobacco-related deaths will occur between now and then.

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Lung Cancer Foundation of America (lcfamerica.org)