Had enough with cigarette taboo in America?

[otb01]

The current situation of tobacco in America has become ridiculous. I don't see how it is just to literally stress the lives of a group of people because of a personal choice that they have made. So much legislation has been made at this point making life so hard for a smoker that it is sickening.

Now, before I continue with this, let me note that I am not and have never been a "smoker." I have never been addicted/dependent and have never "needed" to smoke. However, I really do enjoy that somewhat occasional day that I will smoke.

I find it really sick that I can be with a couple of people smoking and get approached by somebody who is at least 50 pounds overweight and be told oh-so-annoyingly by her about how I'm "killing myself," yet it's fine for him or her to be obese, something that actually does become detrimental to your health in any situation. I fucking know that it's bad for me, shut the fuck up. It even says so on the pack! I don't need commercials, posters or extra warning labels to tell me! This is what sickens me even more. Growing up, my father was an alcoholic and I will always have mental scars from that. When is the last time you ever saw a commercial telling you about how alcoholism can ruin your life and family? I have seen maybe three commercials remotely about alcoholism in my whole life.

Especially where I live, New York City, it has become terrible. A pack of cigarettes will run you at least $6.50 and as high as $8 depending how much people want to gouge the price. This isn't even mentioning things like cloves which can run as high as $10. Why are you making me pay more money for hurting myself? It is really quite a scummy move on behalf of our state government because no matter how high they raise the price, people aren't going to quit. The state is essentially participating in (figurative) pirateering by forcing people to pay this much. At the same time, where is the 300%+ tax on liquor? Where is it?

On top of all of this, people are losing their businesses and money every day simply for selling a pack of cigarettes to a kid. Kids will always get cigarettes. Kids will always smoke. It's a little much to deprive someone of their livelyhood just because some kid got a pack off of them.


Ehhh, this is all way too incoherent, I really need to rewrite this some time but either way I felt like it needed to be said.

 

[TheodoreRoosevelt]

Welcome to the Republican Party!

 

[s1ck]

is there an in-door smoking ban in NYC?

down here in austin texas you cant even smoke in a fucking bar...

and we pride ourselves on being liberal 8)

 

[Tsukasa]

That's cool. Tobacco was never meant to be smoked, and it sucks anyway.

 

[captainballs]

Yeah, American individuals are turning into nazis about smokers but like you said they'll still cram their faces with food and get so fat that they look like cartoons.

 

[otb01]

Welcome to the Republican Party!

Have been a republican since 5th grade !

is there an in-door smoking ban in NYC?

down here in austin texas you cant even smoke in a fucking bar...

and we pride ourselves on being liberal 8)

Yep, the indoor smoking ban is the same. Luckily the hookah places got an exception.

That's cool. Tobacco was never meant to be smoked, and it sucks anyway.

Sorry, you're an idiot. This had nothing to do with the thread.

Yeah, American individuals are turning into nazis about smokers but like you said they'll still cram their faces with food and get so fat that they look like cartoons.

THANK YOU!

 

[s1ck]

That's cool. Tobacco was never meant to be smoked, and it sucks anyway.

put on a flame-retardant outfit.

hookah bars get an exception here too.

they dont serve alcohol tho.

i think bar-goers need to grow some fucking balls, honestly. 8)

...lets ban alcohol from bars next because it turns people into beligerant assholes....

 

[silentscience]

true, agreed. the prices here in Canada are rediculous too. they just went up. I am now paying 10.50 for a pack of cigs (used to be 9 bucks. wtf?)

its really just leaves rolled up in paper. costs them under a penny to produce each one. please drop cigarette prices! and yeah, up the alcohol prices so only those who have enough smarts to drink can drink.,

 

[TheodoreRoosevelt]

McCain used his chairmanship to take on the tobacco industry in 1998, proposing legislation that would increase cigarette taxes in order to fund anti-smoking campaigns and reduce the number of teenage smokers, increase research money on health studies, and help states pay for smoking-related health care costs.

We gotta push for Mitt Romney man, McCain's gonna make Republicans look good - to Democrats, which, is bad. lol.

Thompson would never have done this, I dunno what's wrong with South Carolina ;/

Hillary is also pretty set against smoking, so it looks like we're screwed no matter what in 2008-12.

Mitt Romney '08! If not for Iraq and the economy, then at least for smokers lol

 

[McShroom]

I don't understand this anti-tobacco legislation. Should be an establishments right to say whether you can/can't smoke there. Whats next, not being able to smoke in our own homes? Another thing - wasn't the USA's economy originally founded on Tobacco? I'm just rambling now though..ha

 

[Tsukasa]

Sorry, you're an idiot. This had nothing to do with the thread.

How so? I think it's a good idea that they are increasing cigarette taxation.

 

[TheodoreRoosevelt]

I don't understand this anti-tobacco legislation. Should be an establishments right to say whether you can/can't smoke there. Whats next, not being able to smoke in our own homes? Another thing - wasn't the USA's economy originally founded on Tobacco? I'm just rambling now though..ha

Welcome to the Republican Party!

Did you know that you are not allowed to smoke in your own house in England, so as to not bother social service workers, if you are being given care? Like old people and disabled people, for one.

 

[s1ck]

so youre against personal freedom?

whats wrong with smoking?

i dont like esparagus, so the price should be raised ten-fold and then taxed 50% more on top of that. screw all you people who like leafy green vegetables!!!

 

[Tsukasa]

I don't understand this anti-tobacco legislation. Should be an establishments right to say whether you can/can't smoke there. Whats next, not being able to smoke in our own homes? Another thing - wasn't the USA's economy originally founded on Tobacco? I'm just rambling now though..ha

Smoking not only hurts the smoker, but it hurts those around them even more. I personally wouldn't want nasty toxic cigarette smoke being blown into my babies face or anyones for that matter.

 

[Tytan]

I don't mind the ban of public smoking in most places, even though I'm a smoker, but I think it's stupid to ban it in bars. They are pushing a fine line... they'll push tobacco into black market if they don't watch it.

Mitt Romney '08! If not for Iraq and the economy, then at least for smokers lol

No way! Mitt Romney, McCain, and the Dems are all fuck tards.
Noone gets my vote except Ron Paul. A true Republican.

 

[Tsukasa]

so youre against personal freedom?

whats wrong with smoking?

i dont like esparagus, so the price should be raised ten-fold and then taxed 50% more on top of that. screw all you people who like leafy green vegetables!!!

Well the difference between tobacco and ASPARAGUS, is that one kills you and the other is good for your health.

You don't have any idea what smoking does to your body do you? I'm not against personal freedom, i'm all for it. I just think people who choose to smoke shouldn't do it around people who choose not to. It harms them greatly, and it may also encourage those who are less informed of the dangers (ie. children) to do it. Many of my friends were born with asthma because their mothers smoked while they were pregnant with them, and many of them smoke now because they had such easy access to tobacco products through their parents.

 

[TheodoreRoosevelt]

It's called a Pigovian Tax, or corrective tax.

It's used to essentially raise the cost of cigarettes, so that the number of smokers, or cigarettes bought, goes down.

However, here's an alternative, that also works to the same end as a Pigovian Tax, and brings down the number of cigarettes bought.

It's called a Pigovian Subsidy: Essentially what the government does is to pay smokers for every cigarette they don't smoke up until a certain level (say, 5 cigarettes). What will happen, is that smokers will smoke, say 2 cigarettes, but not smoke any more, because they'd rather take a payment than smoke that 3rd cigarette.

The only difference between a Pigovian Tax, and Subsidy, is that in one case the smokers pay, and the other, the government pays. Both reach same ends, and when you consider smokers are also humans too, the total social benefit stays the same.

They both reach the same exact ends, and do the same thing. It just sounds weird because you are paying someone to not do something you don't like - but it works, and isn't any less moral than 'paying' nonsmokers, which is what is technically going on when you charge smokers.

So pay up bitch, I just smoked 3 cigarettes today :D

 

[otb01]

We gotta push for Mitt Romney man, McCain's gonna make Republicans look good - to Democrats, which, is bad. lol.

Thompson would never have done this, I dunno what's wrong with South Carolina ;/

Hillary is also pretty set against smoking, so it looks like we're screwed no matter what in 2008-12.

Mitt Romney '08! If not for Iraq and the economy, then at least for smokers lol

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I don't understand this anti-tobacco legislation. Should be an establishments right to say whether you can/can't smoke there. Whats next, not being able to smoke in our own homes? Another thing - wasn't the USA's economy originally founded on Tobacco? I'm just rambling now though..ha

Exactly. It's a bit ridiculous that restaurants/bars are REQUIRED to not allow smoking (or THEY get fined 8(). In Canada it's illegal to smoke with kids in the car... Even with the windows open!

Smoking not only hurts the smoker, but it hurts those around them even more. I personally wouldn't want nasty toxic cigarette smoke being blown into my babies face or anyones for that matter.

Actually, there are extremely few cases of people getting ailments from second hand smoking (let alone second hand smoking alone). If you don't want your kids around smoke, then don't take them to places where people can smoke. It's that simple. Also, it's not your choice to speak for other people on that matter. People have the ability to choose to go to a smoking bar or not. Millions of people shouldn't have to suffer because you're selfrighteous and think you know what's best for other people.

I don't mind the ban of public smoking in most places, even though I'm a smoker, but I think it's stupid to ban it in bars. They are pushing a fine line... they'll push tobacco into black market if they don't watch it.




No way! Mitt Romney, McCain, and the Dems are all fuck tards.
Noone gets my vote except Ron Paul. A true Republican.

Yeah, it's mostly the bars thing that pisses me off so much. But yeah, Ron Paul is crazy. He wants to go back to coin-only gold money. For a while he was actually minting his own money but then the secret service came knocking and was like "nuh-huh you can't do that."

 

[otb01]

Well the difference between tobacco and ASPARAGUS, is that one kills you and the other is good for your health.

You don't have any idea what smoking does to your body do you? I'm not against personal freedom, i'm all for it. I just think people who choose to smoke shouldn't do it around people who choose not to. It harms them greatly, and it may also encourage those who are less informed of the dangers (ie. children) to do it. Many of my friends were born with asthma because their mothers smoked while they were pregnant with them, and many of them smoke now because they had such easy access to tobacco products through their parents.

Yes, and I should have the choice to kill myself using tobacco. I KNOW COMPLETELY WHAT TOBACCO DOES. This is what amazes me. People like you must really think that everyone is stupid. I think that people who chose not to should avoid people who smoke then. It's really simple. If you don't want smoke, walk away. Don't make millions suffer because of it. I know many people whose parents smoked with them and theres nothing wrong with them, many are healthier than most. One of them is in their 50s and looks like they're in their late 30s/early 40s.

 

[burn out]

The current situation of tobacco in America has become ridiculous. I don't see how it is just to literally stress the lives of a group of people because of a personal choice that they have made. So much legislation has been made at this point making life so hard for a smoker that it is sickening.

Now, before I continue with this, let me note that I am not and have never been a "smoker." I have never been addicted/dependent and have never "needed" to smoke. However, I really do enjoy that somewhat occasional day that I will smoke.

I find it really sick that I can be with a couple of people smoking and get approached by somebody who is at least 50 pounds overweight and be told oh-so-annoyingly by her about how I'm "killing myself," yet it's fine for him or her to be obese, something that actually does become detrimental to your health in any situation. I fucking know that it's bad for me, shut the fuck up. It even says so on the pack! I don't need commercials, posters or extra warning labels to tell me! This is what sickens me even more. Growing up, my father was an alcoholic and I will always have mental scars from that. When is the last time you ever saw a commercial telling you about how alcoholism can ruin your life and family? I have seen maybe three commercials remotely about alcoholism in my whole life.

Especially where I live, New York City, it has become terrible. A pack of cigarettes will run you at least $6.50 and as high as $8 depending how much people want to gouge the price. This isn't even mentioning things like cloves which can run as high as $10. Why are you making me pay more money for hurting myself? It is really quite a scummy move on behalf of our state government because no matter how high they raise the price, people aren't going to quit. The state is essentially participating in (figurative) pirateering by forcing people to pay this much. At the same time, where is the 300%+ tax on liquor? Where is it?

On top of all of this, people are losing their businesses and money every day simply for selling a pack of cigarettes to a kid. Kids will always get cigarettes. Kids will always smoke. It's a little much to deprive someone of their livelyhood just because some kid got a pack off of them.


Ehhh, this is all way too incoherent, I really need to rewrite this some time but either way I felt like it needed to be said.

stop whining. this is other drugs, it's not a place to post incoherent rants about your dissatisfaction with government policies.