As anyone who has had to deal with the issue as an ecclesiastical leader, a counselor or through law enforcement will tell you, pornography is no benign form of entertainment. And while much of the nation is properly concerned about child pornography, the adult version is harmful, as well.

That tends to get lost in a nation that correctly values free speech and personal choices.

A recent Associated Press story focused on Utahn John Harmer and his efforts to begin reining in what is a fast-growing industry that has a toe-hold on mainstream acceptance. It also included comments from a porn industry attorney who dismissed the growing concerns and spoke of pornography as though it were just another pastime.

It should be obvious that Harmer and the others who are sounding alarm bells are the more credible voices in this debate. They have mounting evidence on their side.

A month ago, this newspaper reported on a random survey conducted among students at Utah Valley State College. They were asked how pornography has affected them and the people they know. The results were startling. Nearly two-thirds, 64 percent, said they've seen adverse effects on someone they consider close to them. Fully 59 percent said someone close to them has suffered emotional distress because of an addiction to porn.

In addition, 40 percent reported knowing of a marriage that had been destroyed by pornography, and 37 percent said they had been personally affected by a porn addict's behavior.

Those figures don't sound like minor aberrations among a population engaging in harmless fun. To find those kinds of results in a community as relatively small and isolated as this is astounding. It sounds very much like what a University of Pennsylvania psychologist told the AP is "the biggest miseducation system we can devise in terms of sexuality, misuse of women."

Americans tend to be a little slow on the uptake. Most likely, this is because they value liberty and would rather not invite government interference. But they tend to come around when it can be shown that an industry is destroying lives. Right now, pornographers enjoy an open and respectable status in much of the land, just as cigarette manufacturers did a few decades ago. They are telling many of the same lies about their products.

Anyone who cares about his or her own personal relationships, families or ability to recognize true inner beauty should avoid it as they would a vial of bird flu virus.