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I will preface this in saying, I do not smoke, I don't like the concept of smoking and absolutely detest smokers who through their butts out of cars.
I will also say that until it becomes an illegal product, I don't think the govt should continue its crusade to ban it and increase taxes on it. Illinois and Chicago is going nutz with all these bans. I am fine with most no-smoking sections in restaurants. I know that when I go to a bar, there will be smokers. I know I will come out smelling like an ashtray. If I don't like it I won't go. I don't think we should ban smokers from smoking in bar!
I will also say that if it is so bad, just cut to the chase and make it illegal! Stop the sale of tobacco products and forfeit the tax revenue made on it. Don't pussyfoot around by banning it in bars, restaurants and other places. Don't continue to benefit from taxing it to death.
"Cook County Commissioners voted 10-7 to double the county's levy on a pack of cigarettes to $2, bringing the total federal, state and local taxes on a pack purchased in Chicago to $4.05"
That makes the average pack about $7. That's a car payment! I think a cigarette machine will be close to $10. I don't know who can afford to continue to smoke at these prices!
JPK
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Heroin and crack cost way more--and they're tax-free!
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I have no problems with the taxing/banning of smoking in all public places. Especially parks and beaches.
But in a bar, hey, if you don't like it, don't go to a bar.
They can tax the hell out of tobacco and booze for all I care.
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I thought this was gonna be about dmann
:-)
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"the tax revenue made on it", barely puts a dent on the health care costs cigarette smokers cost the citizens of this country, not to mention the dry cleaning, car wash, and other ancillary costs borne by non-smokers. when the tobacco companies and the smokers pay 100% of the damages they cause, only then should they be entitled to gripe.
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I quit (half a pack a day) last August. In Pima county smoking is prohibited in restarants and most other public places. I'm perfectly fine with that level of prohibition. Of course there are initiatives to ban smoking in bars. I oppose this. There are also initiatives to fund new programs with increased taxes on tobacco. Planning to rely on revenue from tobacco taxes while at the same time doing everything possible to eliminate that source of revenue doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Never mind that it's an onerous tax on only a portion of the population. Those who are truly addicted to smoking aren't going to stop because it's expensive.
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It's an industry that employs a lot of people and it's revenue.
Smoking can kill.
Alcohol is an industry that employs many and it's revenue.
Drinking can kill.
Where do you stop and draw the line ?
Making it a controlled substance will only create a black market (the high taxes are allready creating one) and the subsequent crime that goes along with it.
Do you really want to pay for incarceration for tobacco ?
What we have now for a deterrant is probably best.
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People who smoke should be beaten with a stick.
Much of my illness is due to being a child around smokers.
I live in California where smoking is illegal in bars. It's awesome. I can go to bars and enjoy myself.
Great myth was that bars would lose business without the smokers. Statistics have proven that their business IMPROVED without the smokers. Why? Because there are more nonsmokers who wanted to go out and who now do go out to bars.
I lost a relative at age 62 to smoking.
Smoking is vile.
'Nuff said.
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I cannot convince the nursing home where I am a volunteer ombudsman to make it smoke free. They are afraid their help would leave and don't see any problem with the old folks smoking (they give them breathing treatments after each cigarette round ! ! ! your medicare is paying the bill) because they are about to die anyway.
jezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Smoke comes in the window when the help smokes outside in the summer time.....No one will listen to me and I'm a former smoker.
A visit to China cured me of sucking eggs.
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For those who criticize smoking and smokers.
Substitute the term driving with the term smoking in your arguments against smoking (especially in "public places"). Do you see where I am going with this?
Every second you sit in your car with the air conditioning running while you wait for someone to run into the store or while you wait in line at the gas station you put more pollutants in the air than a cigarette.
Now, is it as easy condemn smokers?
Is it so easy to complain about their "pollution"?
Did you drive to the public beach or public park? Did you add to the earth's pollution with your vehicle's exhaust?
