Cigarette Prices in US

[Eagle Morph]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

The US Government increased the tax on the tobacco companies as part of an anti-smoking binge. The tobacco companies, in turn, jacked up the prices.

Apparently, their billion dollar profit margins took a bit of a hit. Waaaaaah.

Here's a tip. Don't smoke. It's expensive, it costs money, and it makes you look like a moron. "Hey, look at me! I have a lit piece of paper sticking out of my mouth that slowly injects poisons into my body! YAAAAAAY!"

[Gnomad]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

Yeah. Silly native Americans and their dumb culture.

[Eagle Morph]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

Yeah. Silly native Americans and their dumb culture.

They smoked tobacco. They didn't smoke the nasty chemicals that are a part of cigarettes.

[Gnomad]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

True. But they looked so stupid smoking it.

[Ars Sycro]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

But Gandolf was the shit.

[Gnomad]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

Yeah, this is true.

Wolverine looks pretty bad ass with a cigar as well.

[IKnockStuffDown]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

what if you smoke organic cigarettes?

[Trathena]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

ORLY? Use it.

My spouse uses it. It's a huge improvement to regular smokeless tobacco.

Trathena added 3 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...

what if you smoke organic cigarettes?

Organic is a step in the right direction, but you're only truly morally superior if it's free range also.

Trathena added 77 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...

Also, drummerjs, I agree with your original post. The very idea of "sin tax" doesn't seem right to me.

I don't smoke and I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford the tax hike for my spouse's tobacco (though I've not noticed it where I live yet; maybe I'm just not paying attention), but for many classes and demographics of Americans, this will literally be a backdoor prohibition.

[drummerjs]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

i believe they do it with alcohol too, just to a lesser extent. i just think its just really discriminatory against a certain group of people. i think smokers shouldnt put up with this, and just start quitting like crazy and when the government gets no money from this new tax, they will see that people aren't stupid. but god knows thats never going to happen

[Ooga]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

i believe they do it with alcohol too, just to a lesser extent. i just think its just really discriminatory against a certain group of people. i think smokers shouldnt put up with this, and just start quitting like crazy and when the government gets no money from this new tax, they will see that people aren't stupid. but god knows thats never going to happen

A giant cigarette monument standing at 61 ft. (because that's close to the age you'll die of lung cancer) should be erected in a state like Nebraska, Montana or Kansas. It'd be like the Olympic torch and would burn indefinitely. That is, until it hits the ground and the fields become a blaze of glory and everyone gets burnt up because of the asthma they've developed from smoking cigarettes. At the end of the day (or days, depending on how long it takes to douse the flames) everyone will realize how important the cigarette tax was.

Consider it a field trip for smokers.

heh heh

[Ars Sycro]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

i think smokers shouldnt put up with this, and just start quitting like crazy and when the government gets no money from this new tax, they will see that people aren't stupid. but god knows thats never going to happen

Welcome to the point of the tax.

[drummerjs]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

would you guys believe me if i said i dont smoke?

[Trathena]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

i just think its just really discriminatory against a certain group of people. i think smokers shouldnt put up with this, and just start quitting like crazy and when the government gets no money from this new tax, they will see that people aren't stupid. but god knows thats never going to happen

You're right; it is discriminatory. It's a "sin tax." If this wasn't mostly morally based, they'd have made it easier for people to quit. As it stands, in the short run, it's more expensive to quit than stay addicted. And this is because the attitude is: "You shouldn't be smoking anyway."

People won't be able to "just start quitting." The hard, awful truth is it's next to impossible for most people to successfully quit, especially if they can't afford the expensive patches or gum.

And nobody likes to say out loud that there are benefits to smoking. Are they even close to the health risks? No, but they do exist. Someone who uses nicotine to stay sane for a stressful job, or to stay mentally quick, or to stay awake while driving a truck will find it next to impossible to quit successfully.

And unless they have insurance that helps pay for patches, they're on their own, trying to do get off a drug as strong as heroin.



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Listening to: 65daysofstatic - Dance Parties (Mechanised)

[drummerjs]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

trathena. although i have witnessed the "difficulty" of people quitting smoking. personally it has always been easy for me to go long periods of time without smoking. and i smoked 2 packs a day for 2 years. and then one day, i didnt feel like going to the store to get more, and i just didnt think about it. true story. the difficulty of quitting results from the smoker having the mindset that they are addicted.

in fact, after three days of nicotine cessation, there is no nicotine left in your body, and you are no longer "physically dependant" on nicotine. the psychological addiction is what gives the difficulty. once someone has been smoking for a long time, they associate smoking with almost every activity they do, and they think about smoking and i would imagine the feeling of "this is weird" comes over people and they want to have a cigarette to make them feel more at home.

with all that said, i understand how hard it is to break a habit that you have formed. i play with my ear when i am bored, and i do it without thinking about it. this is on the same level as smoking. it "feels weird" when i am sitting doing nothing so i tend to do that or twiddle my thumbs. when i notice that i am doing it, i try to make myself not do it, and as silly as it sounds, by doing it, i am provided some level of contentment. so i do understand the psychological aspect of addiction.

drummerjs added 1 Minutes and 37 Seconds later...

i wont lie, i do occasionally smoke to this day, but i can, without a doubt, say that it is most certainly not a habit, i choose when i want to smoke and when i am not smoking, i simply dont think about it, or when i do, i just do something else to take its place.

[IKnockStuffDown]

Re: Cigarette Prices in US

trathena. although i have witnessed the "difficulty" of people quitting smoking. personally it has always been easy for me to go long periods of time without smoking. and i smoked 2 packs a day for 2 years. and then one day, i didnt feel like going to the store to get more, and i just didnt think about it. true story. the difficulty of quitting results from the smoker having the mindset that they are addicted.

in fact, after three days of nicotine cessation, there is no nicotine left in your body, and you are no longer "physically dependant" on nicotine. the psychological addiction is what gives the difficulty. once someone has been smoking for a long time, they associate smoking with almost every activity they do, and they think about smoking and i would imagine the feeling of "this is weird" comes over people and they want to have a cigarette to make them feel more at home.

with all that said, i understand how hard it is to break a habit that you have formed. i play with my ear when i am bored, and i do it without thinking about it. this is on the same level as smoking. it "feels weird" when i am sitting doing nothing so i tend to do that or twiddle my thumbs. when i notice that i am doing it, i try to make myself not do it, and as silly as it sounds, by doing it, i am provided some level of contentment. so i do understand the psychological aspect of addiction.

drummerjs added 1 Minutes and 37 Seconds later...

i wont lie, i do occasionally smoke to this day, but i can, without a doubt, say that it is most certainly not a habit, i choose when i want to smoke and when i am not smoking, i simply dont think about it, or when i do, i just do something else to take its place.

Very well put.