Give your throat a vacation – smoke a fresh cigarette.

Believe it or not, this was an ad campaign many years ago. And check this one out: 20,679 physicians say “Luckies are less irritating.”

And this one: “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”

One ad even showed a physician writing on a prescription pad: “For your patients with sore throats and cough, Phillip Morris cigarettes.”

Bizarre, but I guess they didn’t know any better.

There was a time when smoking was the glamorous thing to do. It even had sex appeal.

But all that has changed. Now it’s considered a death warrant, and much stigma is attached to this nasty habit that tobacco companies still promote without a conscience.

Interestingly, though, loneliness is comparable to the risk of smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to one professor of psychology at the University of Provo, Utah.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad says loneliness exceeds the risk of alcohol consumption, air pollution and obesity.

Other research claims that poor diets pose a greater risk to health than tobacco, alcohol and drugs combined.

Regardless of the research, we support the Town of Oliver’s plan to establish a bylaw to prohibit smoking in local parks, which a number of municipalities already enforce.

Some people spoke against this proposal when we published the story on our website. The fact is people don’t like being told what to do, and smokers are already prohibited from lighting up near entranceways.

But parks are where many families and children congregate, and it’s not fair for them to breathe in second-hand smoke.

There is nothing worse than inhaling a bunch of cigarette smoke in a park where you are eating lunch or playing with your kids. Granted, a lot of smokers are discreet by ensuring they stay away from children, but second-hand smoke can carry quite a distance before dissipating.

This bylaw in the making is the right move, particularly considering what’s coming: the legalization of marijuana.

Lion’s Park is a prime example where this bylaw is needed. You can often smell pot here in the summer time, and it’s not a pleasant experience (unless you’ve taken several hits yourself).

Reportedly, Oliver will be the last municipality in the South Okanagan to establish such a bylaw.

It’s about time, don’t you think? If you disagree, send us your viewpoints at [email protected].