Smoking

[jewpinthethird]

In some countries they actually have cigarette boxes with giant letters on the front that say "SMOKING CAN CAUSE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH." My sisters, boyfriends, dad has one of these and shows it off to people as if it's a joke.

I saw those in Europe when I went. I was thinking about buying some since 16 is the legal age to buy cigs, but they were crazy expensive.

If they made smoking illegal, then how would we be able to tell who is "cool and hip" and who are squares not. All the hardcore kids smoke. GOD I WISH IS WAS COOL ENOUGH TO SMOKE...

I also wish I was cool enough to wear girl pants like the hardcore kids.

[The_Q]

THE LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE HERE CAN BE COMPARED TO A SINGLE FRUIT FLY! SMOKING PRODUCES JUST AS MUCH AS IT CAUSES PEOPLE TO USE! Somebody gets the money, right? Smoking also promotes economic efficiency, assuming that it's not taxed up the yang. It can stimulate economic growth in the hospital, the people ridding themselves of the annoying smoke, the government( although the government should make a 0% profit every year), people ridding themselves of the habit through gums or patches or pills, etc. Smoking, like refraining from recycling, stimulates our economy past the obvious. If we instate some law to make the smokers fewer, our ascent out of our recesion will be that much slower.

And DJ's quote was insanely GOOD. He's right and I believe he should be a mod for having just that little amount of sense. Obeisity kills more than smoking, so why do we worry more about smoking? Of course, obeisity also stimulates the economy. Same sort of stuff. THINK BEFORE YOU POST!

EDIT: I know it's a double post, my comp lags. Anywho, I just want to point out that I don't smoke.

Q

[lildevilterpbaby]

so ur sayin that its more important to hav a good economy than to have healthy citizens?? and we are tryin to help obeisity but when it comes to food theres only so much u can do to influence people

[dormir]

same thing with cigs

It kinda seems like our economy is addicted to cigarettes.
This is one of the reasons i'm against legalization of marijuana. I think our economy would be too ready to latch onto it and become dependent on its income. (though i am for decriminalization).

[The_Q]

If you think that the economy would support legalization, you've got another thing coming. The economy is not "addicted" to cigarettes. We can do without, but taking the umph out of the cigarette industry is not the answer. After all, the cigarette industry powers just as many other industries as other industries.

Why won't the economy latch onto the legalized drugs? There's nothing to latch on to. The only positive side effect of legalized drugs would be fewer inmates at the local prison. No, we can't tax it to get benefits, all the money for taxes is just money that moved from one pocket to another. Police enforcement would go down, thus leaving more room for crime to surge up. Legalization will never happen, and if it does, we're all doomed.

And yes, the economy is more important than health citizens, just so long as the citizens are happy. That's another reason why cigarettes are good. Sure, there are plenty of people who hate cigarette smoke (including the people who's relatives were killed by second hand smoke) but they tend to stay away from smokers. This just makes two groups happier. He gets to smoke, she gets fresh air.

See: Bad Economics thread that I started.

[Bloodsik]

I dont care what anyone has to say about it being bad, wrong, and whatnot, or saying I'm too weak to quit. I have no wish to quit.

I GREATLY enjoy my mentholated goodness.

[knuckles]

I'm going to start off with a few things. First off smoking is bad for your health. Scientifically proven it kills. Now what bugs me is these stupid smoking commercials that say, "Smoking isn't cool!" That's just as bad as saying it is cool. They should reconsider their wording.

Drinking alcohol is also proven to kill. Destroys your kidneys and impairs thinking. We don't go around making commercials saying "Drinking is bad so stop lol." Instead we have commercials saying how good it tastes. Saying cigarettes taste good and get you women is pretty much like the guys on beer commercials surrounded in women drinking beer.

Basically, I think, there should not be any alcohol advertisement on tv. If kids can think smoking makes you look cool, what keeps them from thinking that drinking alcohol does too?

Sorry for the off topic-ness but I had to get that off my chest.

Ah jesus, the alcohol-cigarette comparison was a bad example. (counter argument) Alcoholism gets you temporarily drunk while cigarettes get you hooked. I tried.

[GuidoHunter]

That is a lie. It has nothing to do with willpower. An addiction takes over your brain and gives you a dependency on the substance in question. You become miserable and stressed and can also suffer virulent withdrawal symptoms if you don't get a steady supply of the substance. It alters your behavior. You can't just will it away. I know what I'm talking about here.

I'm aware of what withdrawal is, and the physiological effects of an addictive substance, and neither of those things are impossible to overcome with the right amount of willpower (and a sound mind, of course, but nicotine DEFINITELY doesn't rob you of that). Nobody ever suggested that quitting would be easy.

You know what you're talking about here, huh? I'm going to assume that means that you understand addiction and withdrawal firsthand. How does that help your argument? Well, because of the side you're on, anecdotal evidence doesn't prove anything. However, knowing people who come out of multiple decades-long addictions without any help? That shows that you only need willpower. Anyone that says they can't do it is just too weak to try harder, because anyone can kick the habit.

@Bloodsik: Nobody's suggesting you're weak. In fact, people like you don't even factor in to this debate. You like to smoke? That's cool; rock on (even though I hate smoking, you still have EVERY right to smoke and like smoking). But once you say that you physically cannot quit, I'll jump in and call bullshit.

On that note, I'd like to address lildevil and ask why a good (capitalist) economy isn't more important than healthy population. If people want to poison themselves and get sick, that's their perogative, and nobody should care. A bad economy means those people can't do what they want, and that's a really bad thing.

knuckles, it's not the commercials' fault if kids start to smoke. It's the kids' fault and/or the parents' fault. Nobody should tell the networks what they can and can't air; they're private organizations.

Hmm, sorry about the late reply, but I completely forgot I posted in this thread.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[knuckles]

I'm fully aware that it's mostly the parents/childs fault, but if smoking is bad enough to be taken from tv, shouldn't alcohol be as well?

To post something actually on topic, here is something I've heard.

"The price for cigarettes isn't high enough." They should raise the price for cigarettes so the richer people can continually buy, while the people who cannnot afford them will either cut down or quit all together. It sort of evens out. Or, it could possibly backfire and increase insanity and crime. You know how hard up people are for some drugs. They're willing to go to the extremes to get their high.

That opinion I do not stand by 100%, just echoing thoughts I've heard from other people that sound semi-reasonable.

And now back to the alcohol advertisement issues... I'm sort of in the 3rd grade mentality that two wrongs make a right, aren't I?

[DracIV]

Smoking goes under freedom of choice, and put simply you have no right to ban it flat out. Advertising for smoking can be removed from TV by the choice of the networks or laws, but the actual event of smoking is all freedom of choice.

[Squeek]

Since the average user is under the legal age (pshhh... way under) of 18, I thought I'd give you an insight to what you'll be seeing in the future when you head off to college.

EVERYBODY in college smokes. If you think it's bad in high school when the kids do it secretly outside the gym, wait until you have to walk around outside everyday only to be hit in the face with a puff of wayward smoke.

Not only that, their clothes smell like total crap and they fill the ambient air in the room with the wretched stench.

I can legally smoke and have chosen not to for many reasons. Yea, we've been told for years now how bad it is and how it will "mess you up". But seriously, that stuff just smells really god-awful. If I wanted to stink for a long while, I'd go fishing and gut all the catches in my regular clothes and never change again. This would also heighten the beautiful aroma emitted from my underarm from working on the boat all day.

Now, imagining that, you kinda feel disgusted to imagine sitting next to me in class. Well, that's what I consider a perfect analogy for sitting next to smokers in college.

I'll never understand the mindset required to begin this money-wasting lung-degrading habit. So, wait. I have to pay upwards of 5 bucks a pack for these little sticks filled with various toxins that I can inhale into my system only to become addicted to them and require them in order to "relax"? SIGN ME THE FRIK UP.

~Squeek

[thisisnotporn]

Yes smoking is straight up retarded, I agree, anyone who does smoke does deserve to get slapped twice from someone, but it should be their choice if they want to die or not. No one has control over anyone so if someone chooses to smoke or not smoke it's their choice and freedom. Here goes another problem though, what if the person that was exposed to second hand smoking doesn't want to die? Why should they have to breathe in the hazerdous chemicals that someone decides to put in their body? I am for anti-smoking.


Stop intertwining smoking with obiesity, it's not the subject.

[GuidoHunter]

what if the person that was exposed to second hand smoking doesn't want to die?

They can get out of the smoke. It'd be their choice to remain around it. I agree that it's not completely fair, but I think that's the way it should be.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[harrisonsaid]

um, i smoke because i enjoy smoking. i know it will kill me. you dont have to tell me that. i dont smoke around nonsmokers, so dont give me the second hand smoke crap. it affects me and only me. isnt that why american is so great? freedom of choice?





(by the way, if you think smoking is bad because of second hand smoke, think about DUI. you dont even have to around them or know them, and you can die instantly. attack that)

[Jello]

The Q is a moron.

gg for getting your facts from "Supersize me" moron. Anyone who saw that movie can tell you that fact.

go try and sound intelligent somewhere else fucknut.