Sad when quit smoking or else this may happen gets to this crap...

[Trotter]

I'm not here to try to convince anyone to stop smoking. I wish you all would for your own sakes, but that ball is in your own court.

As for medical costs, smoking contributes to many different things besides just cancer, just as obesity contributes to many different ailments besides being fat. All of these are brought on by smoking, or made worse because of it. Hey, if you are going to smoke, at least be an educated smoker and look into actual effects caused by it. I know people in their 20's with health problems that are complicated because of smoking. My father-in-law died at age 42 because of the effects smoking had on him (heart attack and strokes).

My dad smoked when I was a kid. He quit when I was six years old... went from three packs a day to nada. He never lit up another one again. It didn't mean much then, but I now know how hard that was for him. I have never smoked and never will; besides what it would do to my lungs, I never saw the draw of it. Caffeine, on the other hand, I am totally into.

Oh, and to the original topic (that somehow got lost)... the ad may have been effective, but I can't stand these kinds of ads, especially when a kid is involved. They could have portrayed it just as well with scaring the kid to death.

 

[Yami]

You don't see so many bad ads about drinking do you? No. Huge taxes on alcohol? No.

Here in the UK (and EU in general) we get more alcohol ads than we do smoking ads. They're really well-made too.

Second hand smoke just is overrated too.

Tell that to my asthma, caused by my mum smoking.

 

[wafflehammer]

I can't believe that smoking is that dangerous. I think it is bad...but so is eating, driving, drinking, etc.... My biology teacher has smoked since he was like 5,is now in his 50's/60's and he is one of the healthiest people I know. Smoking might cause lung cancer. But look at yahoo's front page. Almost daily is some finding that something "increases chance for XXXXXXXXX cancer". They just don't say it's by a .0000001%

 

[Trotter]

Believe it or not, waffle, it is. Every doctor said his smoking was the main factor in both his heart attacks (he had two) and his strokes (two of them, too). He also had open heart/bypass surgery to route around multiple blockages and had to have the arteries in his neck cleaned out. All of that was extremely painful and he still ended up dead. He was still puffing, though, right up to the night he fell over from the last stroke. I was there when he breathed his last, so know exactly what he went through.

Anything can cause cancer. We don't know exactly what the trigger mechanism is that kicks it off. Our "facts" about things come from scientists watching groups who eat/drink/use something, and then see how many develop cancer. If the number is high, whatever it was must have caused it. Smoking has just been very obvious about it for a very long time, allowing them to narrow it down better.

 

[b0dge]

I wasn't arguing either side. I know smoking is a stupid thing to do, but I still do it. I also know staying up until seven in the morning drinking stella and vodka red bull is a stupid thing to do, but I did it last night. I'm not making anyone else drink my beer, and I'm certainly not force-feeding anyone blowbacks from my cigarettes.

My only point is this: Tobacco would be banned altogether if governments didn't turn a profit from it.

Synical? Possibly. True? Definitely.

 

[Yami]

My only point is this: Tobacco would be banned altogether if governments didn't turn a profit from it.

Synical? Possibly. True? Definitely.

+1 to this.

 

[wafflehammer]

My only point is this: Tobacco would be banned altogether if governments didn't turn a profit from it.

Synical? Possibly. True? Definitely.

This is so true. But it's funny. Governments are balancing their budgets on tobacco taxes. The tax on roll-your-own tobacco in my state went up $24 a pound. A pound cost about $12-17 depending on the brand. How is that fair? The tax alone doubles the price of the item. I read this funny article about a town somewhere that based their budget on tobacco taxes. They raised them. Everyone quit smoking. Town fell apart and they all complained they had no money. That's going to happen to the united states sooner or later.


Another point. It's getting to the point that our (united states) government is stepping into what everyone is doing. Taxing things so people "won't do it". And making things illegal. I think it's unconstitutional and is stepping in the area of communism.

 

[Yami]

Another point. It's getting to the point that our (united states) government is stepping into what everyone is doing. Taxing things so people "won't do it". And making things illegal. I think it's unconstitutional and is stepping in the area of communism.

What does control over what people do have to do with communism?

 

[carnageX]

I can't believe that smoking is that dangerous. I think it is bad...but so is eating, driving, drinking, etc.... My biology teacher has smoked since he was like 5,is now in his 50's/60's and he is one of the healthiest people I know. Smoking might cause lung cancer. But look at yahoo's front page. Almost daily is some finding that something "increases chance for XXXXXXXXX cancer". They just don't say it's by a .0000001%

Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes

Sure doesn't sound that dangerous, does it! With all the cyanide, nicotine (which in its purest form, can kill a person on skin contact...or maybe I'm thinking of caffeine..not sure), ammonia, and all the other nice stuff! Oh, and wanna point out one nice little ingredient for "flavor"...: Urea. You're smoking urine for flavor .

Not forcing anybody here to try to quit. Your body, you do whatever. Just don't do it around me, or breathe on me. I have to deal with enough smokers that come into work and help them; their breath is rank.

 

[wafflehammer]

What does control over what people do have to do with communism?

Look at North Korea. They are communist. Look at all the stuff they control. Filter the internet so people see what the government wants.

you know how it is.

Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes

Sure doesn't sound that dangerous, does it! With all the cyanide, nicotine (which in its purest form, can kill a person on skin contact...or maybe I'm thinking of caffeine..not sure), ammonia, and all the other nice stuff! Oh, and wanna point out one nice little ingredient for "flavor"...: Urea. You're smoking urine for flavor .

Not forcing anybody here to try to quit. Your body, you do whatever. Just don't do it around me, or breathe on me. I have to deal with enough smokers that come into work and help them; their breath is rank.

Okay fine. Don't drive your car near my city. It's fumes smell bad and are killing people. It's killing the planet too. All those moving, shard metal objects aren't very safe either.