Evidence? Exhibit A:

A Michigan health care company has fired four of its employees for refusing to take a test to determine whether they smoke cigarettes.

The company enacted a new policy this month, allowing workers to be fired if they smoke, even if the smoking takes place after-hours, or at home.

The founder of Weyco Inc. said the company doesn't want to pay the higher health care costs associated with smoking.

In no way am I in favor of smoking...the odor and smoke trigger my asthma and it troubles me that people pay good money to compromise their health. That all said, it is their life and this is a free country. I understand that smokers increase the health care premiums for all of us, but it is not as if smoking is the only voluntary activity that does that.

I'm just waiting for the company to go the whole way and ban a few other choice activites to preserve the lives of their employees and their own bottom line:

Official Notice:

Employees of Weyco Inc. are no longer allowed to ride roller coasters, drive at speeds in excess of the speed limit, skydive, scuba dive, bungie-jump, own firearms, discharge firearms, hunt, fish, swim in deep water, argue with their spouse or significant other, skateboard, eat uncooked or undercooked food, bicycle without a helmet or engage in unprotected sex.

Violators will be subject to immediate termination.

I checked the EEOC just to be sure and there is absolutely nothing to prevent Weyco from eliminating smokers as part of their employment practices. The EEOC offenses center primarily on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability and age.

(Although if a smoker really wanted to work for this company (I have no idea why they would want to), my suggestion would be to start a new religion centered around tobacco and its many uses. I doubt it would do much as far as saving your soul, but it might save your job!)