.

[usahellyes]

.

[The Observer]

Cigarettes bring in boatloads of money for the government. It's what pays for healthcare and helps keep property taxes down.

[BlueLancer]

"Should"? Absolutely, from a rational viewpoint. I've also smoked in the past (though only moderately) and think it has zero reason not to be classified as a dangerous substance.

 

 

 

"Can"? It will never be illegal in reality, especially in the United States. In New York alone, the cigarette tax brings in $265 million per year. In the US collectively, we're talking about tens of billions of dollars every year.

 

 

 

It might be short-sighted to look at short-term profits and ignore all the lost taxes from those smokers who will die... But that's how the government partly finances it's operations. Just as alcohol & it's prohibition showed... Some substances cannot be, and are not financially viable to be banned due to the massive demand & generation of tax money.

[usahellyes]

.

[Danqazmlp]

In britain i see it being made illegal within the next 10-20 years. It's already illegal to smoke inside any public building, and in many public areas out-side too.

[Loffelicious]

 

My take on it is that it should be made illegal in all public places, but should be legal in houses/other private property.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how it works in Norway. Or - you can light a siggy outside in public, but not in any bar, restaurant etc. Only place you're allowed to light a ciggy inside is private homes. It works great, and I strongly support it!

[Lateralus]

Please don't take away my cigarettes.

[usahellyes]

.

[purfishx]

Here in Barbados, cigarettes have been banned in all public places (even in rumshops :o ).

 

 

 

Stupid Government 'ere. :|

[usahellyes]

.

[BlueLancer]

"Should"? Absolutely, from a rational viewpoint. I've also smoked in the past (though only moderately) and think it has zero reason not to be classified as a dangerous substance.

 

 

 

"Can"? It will never be illegal in reality, especially in the United States. In New York alone, the cigarette tax brings in $265 million per year. In the US collectively, we're talking about tens of billions of dollars every year.

 

 

 

It might be short-sighted to look at short-term profits and ignore all the lost taxes from those smokers who will die... But that's how the government partly finances it's operations. Just as alcohol & it's prohibition showed... Some substances cannot be, and are not financially viable to be banned due to the massive demand & generation of tax money.

 

 

 

Do you have a source with the taxes brought in for the whole US?

 

Because in 1998, the estimated health care costs of smoking were $72.7 billion.[1] If the health care costs exceed the taxes, it's awfully dumb of the government to have smoking be legal.

 

 

 

For the whole world, it's clear revenue from cigarette taxes greatly surpasses any healthcare-related costs: http://www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/fa ... 020528.htm

 

 

 

About 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily - or 10 million every minute. [750 million to 1.2 billion packs of cigarettes daily]

 

 

 

For USA, the health issues are far more considerable than the 1998 statistics - in 2001 alone, smoking caused $167 billion dollars in economic losses across all states. The entire revenues aren't listed, but a collection of 20 states according to the NCSL bring in merely 3 billion in tax revenue every year.

 

 

 

In USA, it might be actually economically viable to ban smoking... The only problem remains: The tobacco lobby puts politicians in power and finances their campaigns. No politician is stupid enough to want to stop their business and effectively end their own political career as well.

[purfishx]

Here in Barbados, cigarettes have been banned in all public places (even in rumshops :o ).

 

 

 

Stupid Government 'ere. :|

 

 

 

I don't live in a town that has many smokers, so I admittedly don't know too much about the smoking culture. Why do you smoke? (Assuming that you still do)

 

 

 

I'm underage so I can't smoke legally (but I do smoke... shhhhh :-$ ) but my father smokes because he says it relaxes him and it pisses of my mother.

 

 

 

:twss:

[Biabf]

The governments can't afford to ban smoking (learnt about this on friday lol)

 

The UK government brings in around £10b from tax duties on cigarettes, the cost to the NHS from smoking related illnesses is £2b. The tax on cigarettes helps fund other public services so if smoking was banned the government would lose out on that £8b they have to invest on other public services.

 

 

 

Ideally, smoking should be banned because of the impact of everyone's health but it wont happen (in the UK at least) because the government doesn't want to lost the money it makes off tax.

 

 

 

(For reference, none of my family smokes. Some friends do tho :? )

[usahellyes]

.

[scootlaboot]

I never understood why people were so opposed to smoking in bars. Think about what other things people do in bars.

 

 

 

"Excuse me sir, I'm trying to get drunk, so I can drive home, to have unprotected sex this chick I just met, and this guy is blowing smoke in my face."-Some comedian whose name I don't know.

 

 

 

As for making smoking completely illegal, I refer to the alcohol prohibition in the US of the 1920's, and what a colossal failure it was.

[RSBDavid]

As long as you don't smoke near me and give me 2nd hand/make me cough, I don't really don't give a care.

[magekillr]

It shouldn't be made illegal, the taxes on them should just be insanely high. Cigarettes in Virginia are very cheap compared to the rest of the US because VA is like the capitol for tobacco. Like a pack of Marlboro Lights is about $3.97, and they're probably $7.00 in a state like Illinois.

[shooterbob7]

yes it should. so should drinking.

[usahellyes]

.

[llcoolguy972]

I never understood why people were so opposed to smoking in bars. Think about what other things people do in bars.

 

 

 

"Excuse me sir, I'm trying to get drunk, so I can drive home, to have unprotected sex this chick I just met, and this guy is blowing smoke in my face."-Some comedian whose name I don't know.

 

 

 

As for making smoking completely illegal, I refer to the alcohol prohibition in the US of the 1920's, and what a colossal failure it was.

 

I take it you've never been in a bar where/when smoking was legal. It can get unimaginably thick, to the point where it seems like it's almost possible to cut through it. It's absolutely disgusting not to mention the health/fire hazards and that it completely wrecks your clothes.

 

 

 

Anyway, I don't really see smoking being banned completely, at least in the US, what with the tobacco lobbyists and the insane amounts of tax revenue it generates.

[warren211]

I live in Illinois where the price is insanely high. I'm not sure what the exact price is, but I know my dad's friend who is a smoker goes to Indiana to buy those big-[wagon] sets of packs that are about 30 bucks cheaper. So raising taxes really high might just work as magekillr said.

[RSBDavid]

yes it should. so should drinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just because some people abuse things like drugs,alcohol and tobacco products, it DOES NOT MEAN everyone else should suffer. The easy fix that everyone uses is just to screw everyone else by banning whatever the thing is. Pop is banned in my state at schools because some kids drink 6 to 10 20oz bottles a day. That is not fair to me.

[NoMoreDead]

It shouldn't be made illegal, the taxes on them should just be insanely high. Cigarettes in Virginia are very cheap compared to the rest of the US because VA is like the capitol for tobacco. Like a pack of Marlboro Lights is about $3.97, and they're probably $7.00 in a state like Illinois.

 

 

 

Meh. You can get packs of Marbs for under 3 bucks in NC. In Ohio, they're around $4.50 to $5.00.

 

 

 

There is no reason that they should be made illegal. It's a choice that every person in the world should have.

[Loffelicious]

My opinion is, that as long as it only bothers yourself, and you have to take the consequences(typo?) and not everyone else, things should'nt be made illegal anywhere.

 

 

 

Check this link out, it is a video that shows an alternate way of getting the nicotine/tobacco you "need". This is a Swedish tobacco product called snus. It is extremely common in Norway and Sweden. I'd say each 3rd male and increasingly more women use this, instead of cigarettes.

 

 

 

Here is an american explaining advantages about it:

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWXaQcBdMBQ

 

 

 

And here is a kind of commercial made by a swedish company:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy:)

[megakiller32]

If Cigarettes were made illegal completely now, It would just be a repeat of the American Prohibition.

 

There would be far too much smuggling and organised crime, and apart from that Governments make billions on the taxation of cigarettes.

 

So no, they definitely shouldn't be made illegal. If people want to smoke, so be it, and theres always a bit of help if people want to quit and have the willpower.