Recent news reports have highlighted a surge of illnesses related to e-cigarettes (see "The Vaping Crisis"). This reminds many Americans of another public health threat: cigarettes. For years, people smoked tobacco without knowing it was dangerous. Then, in 1964, the U.S. government issued a shocking report that linked smoking to lung cancer and millions of deaths. Today’s news about e-cigs has eerie echoes of that time.
This cartoon comments on the issue. As part of its message, it uses the word accomplice, meaning someone who helps another person do something bad. Study the cartoon, then answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What does the man in the cartoon represent? What does his shirt tell you?
2. What are the two items the man is addressing, and how are they related?
3. What point is the cartoonist making by using the word accomplice?
4. How does the cartoon relate to what you read in the article?