Smoking FActs

[Velvet]

But here's the thing: if you don't get sick and end up in the hospital because you're a smoker, you're going to get sick and end up in the hospital for something else. Everyone dies, and if you don't die in a traffic accident or from a sudden, unexpected heart attack you're likely to be in the hospital requiring medical assistance before you go...

Just to spout more Allen Carr wisdom:

About all those other ways of dying: People generally do everything they can to avoid them, every day, all the time.

Smoking is corporate controlled suicide.

[phishtaper]

over the past twenty years, tax revenues from the sale of cigarettes have generally exceeded healthcare costs directly associated with smoking (i.e., hospitalization, cancer treatment). adjustments to taxation and declining smoking rates over the past few years though have tipped the balance into deficit since about 2002/04. (Ontario actually has one of the lowest tax rates now too.)

additionally, the costs of lost productivity, usually off-loaded onto employers and insurance companies, are said to be triple the total of direct healthcare costs ... but one could make the same indirect costs argument about most other lifestyle health issues, like poor eating and alcoholism.

[bouche]

I got your back New Rider. I'm a non-smoker and I'm not concerned that other people choose to smoke. I know you know it's bad for your health and you'll stop when you're ready.

You're not concerned that people are choosing to slowly kill themselves? You should be very concerned. Why would people choose to do this? It's not because they really want to, it's because there is shit that is in cigarettes that is HIGHLY addictive that keep people smoking.

Would you be concerned if you found out that someone you knew was addicted to heroine or cocaine?

[Freak By Night]

Would you be concerned if you found out that someone you knew was addicted to heroine or cocaine?

Being addicted to "a mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero" is cause for concern?

[timouse]

Would you be concerned if you found out that someone you knew was addicted to heroine or cocaine?

Being addicted to "a mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero" is cause for concern?

and if it was socially acceptable and possible to have one of those in my mouth 20 x a day...

[ollie]

I got your back New Rider. I'm a non-smoker and I'm not concerned that other people choose to smoke. I know you know it's bad for your health and you'll stop when you're ready.

You're not concerned that people are choosing to slowly kill themselves? You should be very concerned. Why would people choose to do this?

Because people are stupid and we're all going to die.

The whole "slowly killing themselves" is a bit much. You can say the same thing about someone with an unhealthy diet. Or someone who drinks too much booze. Repeat after me' date=' "We're all going to die". I am concerned though with people that kill themselves because they're depressed. Or because of societal pressure. I think that's completely different than someone who takes up smoking.

Would you be concerned if you found out that someone you knew was addicted to heroine or cocaine?

Sure, I'd be concerned to a point but ultimately people are going to do what they want to do. It's important to be there for your friends and family but you can't let it take over your life.

[Hal Johnson]

Body Break, with yours truly:

I think less people would committ suicide if more of them smoked.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Guest

[AdamH]

Throwing your cigarette butts on the ground is what smokers do that is truly deplorable. There is no excuse for it, there is no rational justification for it.

[Northern Wish]

I still say good for you Dinghy!

[jayr]

I never knew it was possible to love something and hate it equally. It is a bit odd... Quitting is a hell of a lot harder than just knowing that smoking is stupid and bad for your health though.

[Hal Johnson]

They threaten me with lung cancer, and still I smoke and smoke. If they'd only threaten me with hard work, I might stop. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

http://www.quotegarden.com/smoking.html

[bokonon]

Obesity and its related health problems take more of our tax dollars than smoking. But it's just not socially acceptable to bother someone for being obese.

[AD]

Obesity and its related health problems take more of our tax dollars than smoking.

citation please

if true, perhaps it's because people that are obese live longer and thus need more care? i don't know if that's the case, just surmising

[ollie]

Obesity and its related health problems take more of our tax dollars than smoking.

citation please

if true' date=' perhaps it's because people that are obese live longer and thus need more care? i don't know if that's the case, just surmising

[/quote']

Those electric wheelchairs aren't cheap!

[Jaimoe]

Obesity and its related health problems take more of our tax dollars than smoking.

citation please

if true' date=' perhaps it's because people that are obese live longer and thus need more care? i don't know if that's the case, just surmising

[/quote']

Are we talking grossly or morbidly obese people or just plain old husky? You'd be surprised what constitutes being considered obese by Health Canada standards.

I'd like to see a citation too. There's no doubt that obesity can lead to all sorts of nasty health ailments like diabetes and heart disease.

[badams]

Modern medicine has enabled us to live longer lives but not always healthier. Smoking, drinking and eating can all cause major health problems. We in turn pay for these problems through our medical system and taxes. Our system is already strained and it is going to get worse.

Somewhere somehow we need to reach the younger generations and have them living a healthier life style. It's the only way things will get better in the future. I know it is much easier said than done.

[rubberdinghy]

whoa!

[phishtaper]

Somewhere somehow we need to reach the younger generations and have them living a healthier life style. It's the only way things will get better in the future. I know it is much easier said than done.

The Public Health Agency of Health Canada has identified three core areas of chronic disease prevention and control: cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A great deal of effort is going into public awareness of healthy living, including disease prevention through diet, physical activity and smoking cessation. The problem is that so much of the information is long-term, common sense and difficult to transfer effectively to a quick-fix society.

Why on earth would anyone smoke? The evidence is beyond debate - you smoke, you get disease. Period. And yet, millions of Canadian continue to do so, knowing full well that its a harmful activity.

Yes, Health Canada's approach is to get the message out to both older and younger groups to stop, or not begin, harmful activities and to begin to incorporate healthy activities into our daily lives. But when we, as a population and as individuals, are too stupid to help ourselves, it's difficult for a well-intentioned, paternalistic government agency to get us to actually pay attention to the message.

The only way to effectively stop people from smoking is to ban cigarettes. Attempting to convince people to stop isn't all that effective.

[Freak By Night]

The only way to effectively stop people from smoking is to ban cigarettes.

Wow! You hit the nail on the head there.

Banning marijuana has totally eliminated its use. I don't know why they haven't thought of banning cigarettes.

[hamilton]

The only way to effectively stop people from smoking is to ban cigarettes. Attempting to convince people to stop isn't all that effective.

That strategy has worked particularly well with illegal drugs! Shit, nobody does those anymore since they were banned.

[phishtaper]

what idiotic reactions.

last time i looked you could legally buy cigarettes in corner stores. ban that sale and you hugely reduce cigarette consumption within the mainstream.

are you naive enough to actually think that your middle-class neighbours are going to drive their SUV's down to the comfort zone at midnight for a hit of tobacco? please. they will just stop smoking.

and of course deviant sub-populations will go underground. but, im not refering to them, im refering to 97% of the smokers out there who will just stop when they can no longer buy them legally.

[dogatthestation]

But then you would just be creating a situation where you would have a bunch of edgy activists, yelling that fatso over there shouldn't be allowed to eat that double big mac for his own good...

Oh and I hate walking around the street seeing all the Tim Hortons coffee cups littering the street... facking government should step in and do something about this... Now that stuff will kill you!

[jayr]

First off, the Government doesn't care, they just pretend to so that they can keep the support of the non-smoking population. They make way too much money off of it to actually care.

Smokers will never go away completely, we may be forced out of sight but we will always be here. Making cigarettes illegal would be just as crazy as throwing people in jail for possessing flowers from a weed. Plus, I feel that I have the right to make my own decision on the matter and if I want to smoke then that is my choice.

Don't get me wrong though, I am not pro-tobacco and I would never suggest anyone take up the sport but I have the right to smoke just as much as nonsmokers have the right to not smoke, and years of negative comments about an activity I participate in every hour or so of my waking life has made me a wee bit defensive on the matter and I really don't mean to offend anyone if I did....

[NewRider]

I feel that I have the right to make my own decision on the matter and if I want to smoke then that is my choice.

^

what he said.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

i actually read something recently that because life expectancy has increased it's costing more (health) money to keep the frail living into their twilight years.

i think we should give the coffin-dodgers free smokes and unlimited, heavily salted big macs to lighten the load on the top-end of the system.