In the coming days, Obama will sign a piece of legislation to put cigarettes under regulation by the FDA, and will mandate there be less nicotine in each cigarette.

I have mixed feelings about these kinds of bills. I don't actually believe anyone in government - especially Obama (a smoker) - truly wants everyone to quit smoking. The US brings in $33-billion per year in tobacco taxes - why would they want that to all of a sudden go away?

It's not like if they lower the amount of nicotine per cigarette, people are going to ingest less nicotine. They're just going to smoke MORE to get their fix.

Well when you put it that way - $66-billion in taxes sounds like petty cash!

What do you all think? Genuine concern for the American public, or an easy way to bring in more taxes?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/19/tobacco.lobby/index.html

"The US brings in $33-billion per year in tobacco taxes - why would they want that to all of a sudden go away?"

What's the cost to care for people with emphysema and lung cancer, not to mention the loss in productivity? If we're going to reign in health care costs, smoking has to be assessed for it's true cost.

David: 0
Mevin: 3

Well said. That part hadn't occurred to me.

Well, even if they double the taxes and put smokers in re-education camps, doesn't mean they're going to solve the problem. People love the ciggies (or at least the idea of doing something contrary to liberal intelligentsia dogma) almost as much as they love their guns.

And you're getting that from an unapologetic gun owner. So even though I think smoking is stupid and disgusting, I get it when they scream "big brother!"

Thing is, and I'd never thought of this either, that smokers have significantly shorter life spans. So while they may cost more while living, they don't live as long, and folks that do live a long time end up costing just as much just from being old and having lots of medical bills. I'm trying to remember where I read that so I can post it. It was a different twist on what you normally hear about smokers/the cost of smoking..

The University of California, Berkeley estimates annual smoking-related healthcare costs to exceed $70 billion. Other sources estimate it to be over $100 billion.

I had heard the latter- $100B.

Not to sound harsh- but cancer is a HUGE business. What happens if that revenue goes away? The drug companies, the oncologists, the hospitals- all pay taxes too.

I thought this said 'New Taco Bell' when I first read it.

carry on...

I read it the same way, Jo! Too funny.

Cigarette taxes are horse shit.
Here's a thought:
Fix the health care system so that it doesn't cost a thousand dollars to see a doctor for 5 seconds and that 100billion a year bill would go way down.

I envy US.
The bill was passed in lower house Parliament on April 2 and raised federal tax for a tabacco from 39cent to 1.01 dollar.
But in Japan the price of tabacco is 3 dollar in average including 1.8 dollar of national tax only.

Jo! Jiggy! Me too!

Makoto,
Cigarettes cost seven dollars a pack for generic brands here.

Wow,photo is NY.