As thoroughly awful as everyone knows cigarettes to be— still the No. 1 cause of premature death in this country— public officials walk a blurry line when they try to reduce the terrible toll caused by smoking. 

High tobacco taxes, critics say, unfairly punishes smokers, who are disproportionately low income. Banning advertising of a legal product raises free-speech issues and can tobacco companies really be forced to put large graphic warnings on their own products to discourage customers from buying them? Do any of these ideas yield the results promised? Does this type of oversight really change people’s behaviors?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was successful in getting trans-fats removed from restaurant menus and last year proposed doing away with large soda purchases to protect citizens from excessive sugar intake, thus causing an alarming obesity rate in the city. However noble the goals of controlling the bad habits of others, these laws are grossly overreaching and should be defeated at every turn.

Now, the New York City Council, backed by Mayor Bloomberg, is considering another tactic: making it illegal for anyone younger than 21 to buy cigarettes. Currently, anyone 18 or over can buy a pack. The new proposal would, at least theoretically, make cigarettes difficult to obtain by those who are most vulnerable to peer pressure and tobacco marketing. Prevention makes sense because smoking is so addictive that more than 85 percent of those who try to quit relapse.

Yet, the good intentions are outweighed by the proposal's problems. For one thing, it's practically doomed to have minimal effect. A 20-minute bus ride will transport any Bronx resident to neighboring Yonkers, where 18-year-olds would still be allowed to buy as many cartons as they wanted. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 90 percent of smokers take up the habit before the age of 18, apparently unfazed by the existing rules barring stores from selling to them.

Beyond the practical considerations, government leaders should think twice about taking away the right of adults to buy a legal, but dangerous products like cigarettes, which, includes 18-year-olds who are adults who are allowed to sign legally binding contracts, to vote, to go to war and to seek and obtain a doctor's prescription for Oxycotin. True, the legal drinking age is 21 in every state but that is justified by the fact that an 18-year-old's dumb decision to drink may harm others. A decision to smoke harms only the smoker.

More than 1,200 people die from smoking-related diseases each day in this country. By all means, there should be more education about the dangers of smoking, more bans on where people may smoke, more advertising to counter the tobacco industry's marketing. At the end of the day this proposal is less about smoking and more about individual freedoms. Adults should retain the right to make most decisions that affect only themselves— even very bad decisions!

The administration of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has made a good decision in eliminating thousands of speeding tickets issued from the city’s faulty electronic cameras.

It almost seemed impossible to believe— literally thousands of complaints from city residents about unjustified ticketing— everyone disputes their speeding habits, but many of those who received tickets for speeding on city streets and even running red lights may have been telling the truth. The tickets appear to have been issued in error and completely unjustified. 

However, the larger question was how would the city be able to wade through thousands of tickets to make the tough call about which tickets were legitimate and which should be mitigated. The process has already cost Baltimore millions of dollars and has put the credibility of the ticketing vendor in serious doubt.

A clean slate with a company with a proven track record is what’s needed in this situation and city transportation officials have taken a commendable and fair first step.

Dr. Michael Miller shares story with Arlington Elementary School students

Michael Miller knows all about overcoming obstacles. The Baltimore native became a father at the age of 14, dropped out of school at the age of 16, was in and out of trouble, and enjoyed the lure of the streets of Baltimore. By all accounts, it appeared Miller’s troubled lifestyle would lead him down a path of destruction that would end with him becoming a crime statistic.  

However, Miller beat the odds. In a matter of three years, he obtained a G.E.D., an associate’s degree, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, setting a national record for the first person to ever accomplish the feat. Through the benevolence of Oprah Winfrey, Miller received funding to continue his education as a “Beating the Odds Scholar.” He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Maryland and a doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Currently, Dr. Miller is traveling around the country sharing his story through motivational speaking engagements and promoting his book, “It’s Not Where You Start, It’s Where You Finish: How I Won My Race From Last Place!”  The book chronicles Dr. Miller’s long-held childhood pain and revelations including overcoming obstacles, death, and suicide.

Miller also shares his story with children whenever possible, and on Friday, April 19, 2013 he paid a visit to Arlington Elementary School. Terrell Gray is the principal of the school, which is located on Rogers Avenue in Baltimore. During his visit, Dr. Miller discussed the book, talked with students, and fielded questions from students during a Q&A session.

“I talk to the kids about the false starts in my life, and how I made it through,” said Dr. Miller. “I went from a G.E.D. to a Ph.D. Through the benevolence of Oprah Winfrey, I was able to earn my master’s degree and Ph.D. She paid for it all. She asked me to give back, as opposed to paying back. That’s what I am doing today. It’s all about giving back.”

He added, “I am a firm believer that you can take any kid of out of the inner-city and they can excel and do well.  That kid can learn how to adapt to that which he has, and be successful. I’m living proof that it can be done.”

“It’s Not Where You Start, It’s Where You Finish: How I Won My Race From Last Place!” is a New York Times best seller, and is in high demand by school systems all over the nation.

“A lot of schools around the country use the book as part of their curriculum,” said Dr. Miller. “The state of Maryland also orders about 15,000 books for the juvenile detention centers. The state of Georgia orders between 50,000 to 60,000 copies every year for their students.”

He added, “I understand to whom much is given more is required. I believe in, and stress education. This is about saving our children’s lives and investing. It’s a sad thing to be successful, and not give back to the community.”

The book includes a foreword by world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Both Dr. Carson and Dr. Miller share similar stories of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve success. Dr. Carson is the author of “Gifted Hands.”

“I give a lot of credit to Dr. Carson,” said Dr. Miller. “He had his hands on me. He took me under his wing and mentored me. He is incredibly smart, intelligent and humble. His humbleness taught me it was never about me. It’s about God.”

Dr. Miller attends Bethany Baptist Church where Dr. Thurm M. James, Sr. is pastor.

“Dr. James keeps me focused and I need that,” said Dr. Miller. “God just sends you what you need. This is the first time I have gone to church consistently. I have kept my Sundays open to attend church. You have to finish what you start. That includes my spiritual walk too.”

Dr. Miller who is 39-years-old, is also delivering on his promise to Winfrey through the Promise to Persevere Scholarship.

“These scholarships are not merit-based,” said Dr. Miller. “These scholarships are awarded to students who beat the odds and have overcome some things in their life. They were at a fork in the road— college or the streets, but chose college. Oprah Winfrey did it for me, and now I am doing it for someone else.”

Keana Todd, a sixth-grade student at Arlington Elementary School wrote an essay about Dr. Miller’s book.

“I really like Dr. Miller’s book,” said Keana. “I liked the fact that he ran a good race and won.”

“It’s Not Where You Start, It’s Where You Finish: How I Won My Race From Last Place!” sells for $15.95, and is available at Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores and retailers. The book is also available online at amazon.com

On April 23, 2013, Johns Hopkins University will host a major symposium to examine the social factors that drive the health inequalities in Baltimore and other urban communities. In the United States, social inequalities help explain why Americans still have poor outcomes on broad measures of health despite the billions of dollars spent nationally on medical care. The Second Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health aims to raise awareness about the impact and importance of the social determinants of health and to identify actionable items that can be undertaken to reduce health inequalities.

“While only six miles separate the Baltimore neighborhoods of Roland Park and the Northeast Market, there is a 20-year difference in average life expectancy,” said symposium organizer, Robert Wm. Blum, MD, MPH, PhD, director of Urban Health Institute and the William H. Gates Sr. Professor and Chair of the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“When we think of the social determinants of health, not only are we talking about health services but access to housing, education, social supports, employment and other critical factors that together determine health outcomes. When it comes to infant mortality and life expectancy, we rank lower than most industrialized countries; and if Baltimore were a country it would rank 76th in the world for infant mortality. Without understanding and addressing those social factors that drive the health inequalities we don’t stand a chance to reverse these trends and statistics,” Blum explained.

The Second Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Office of the Provost and the Urban Health Institute. Special emphasis will be given toward shifting the focus from studying the problems to implementing an action-based approach to solutions. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 23 in Shriver Hall located on the University’s Homewood Campus.

The conference will kick off with a keynote address by Sir Michael Marmot, chair of World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, and will conclude with an address by Dr. Anthony Iton, president of the California Endowment. Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City, will also participate in the symposium, as will Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District). Other speakers include Dr. Adawale Troutman, president of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Mindy Fullilove, author of Root Shock, and Dr. James Comer, one of the nation’s leading educators.

Prominent researchers and community leaders will host sessions addressing the roles of incarceration and racism in driving health inequalities, engaging business in addressing the social determinants of health, building human and social capital, and pathways to a more healthy and equitable future here in Baltimore. The program is being structured to assure audience participation and engagement throughout the day.

All members of the Baltimore community are invited to attend. For additional information or to register for the event, please visit http://www.jhu.edu/provost/sdh.