It was then that I went to see a drug counselor, and when she asked me why I was getting high, the only thing I could think to say was, Its given me something to write about. So three decades later I sat down to write about it, intending it purely as nonfiction, but as I wrote I began to do what I asked my students to do, reimagine and reinvent myself, until by draft ten or so my facts could no longer be called facts. Eventually, the central principle of cigarette addiction being an unexpected redemptive forcewhat had inspired me to write the story in the first placewas cut entirely
a rebel with a cause (smoking), despite everyones visible and vocal disdain, and that I certainly vibed with
State governments struggling to close yawning budget gaps are fighting to get billions of dollars from a landmark 1998 tobacco settlement that they counted on to help fund everything from Medicaid to elder care programs
Store packs sealed, cool, and dry no direct sun, hot cars, or damp bathrooms
