Skoal Scolds

Reader Jim Murphy, who blogs here, points us to the latest skirmish in the war against tobackey:

Country music's "Redneck Woman" promises to keep her can of Skoal in her back pocket from now on. Tennessee's attorney general had asked Gretchen Wilson not to pull out a can of smokeless tobacco during performances of her new song "Skoal Ring" because it glamorized tobacco use.

A warning letter said the routine might violate the 1998 tobacco settlement, which forbids tobacco ads targeting young people.

Whole AP account here. "Skoal Ring" refers to the outline of the can in a pair of jeans. Wilson, best known for the tune "Redneck Woman," has agreed to stop whipping out the tin.

Writes Murphy, "I can only imagine how Hank Williams or Waylon Jennings would response to a situation like this, but my guess is that it would have involved an extended middle finger."

Jacob Sullum asked recently whether movies cause smoking. The answer may surprise you, especially if you are an anti-smoking activist.