I know there's a lot of fuss about the possibility of making marijuana legal. But what I think is more important is the issue of tobacco. It's one of the most dangerous/deadly recreational substances in history, but it's perfectly legal to anyone over the age of 18. It's been proven to potentially cause numerous health problems, but that doesn't stop people from smoking. Lots of people die from smoking/chewing-related health problems every day.

Should it be illegal?

And if you think it should, do you think something like that is even practical in our capitalist society? Remember, Prohibition didn't work.

Nah...I don't think it should be considered illegal. But it is pretty harmful to the body, and it's a major cause in deaths (remember all those TRUTH commercials? Someone dies every 8 seconds?)

Personally, I just think that if someone enjoys smoking, then okay. It might help them to relax. I used to know a guy who chewed tobacco often (and smoked a pipe occassionally), and he lived to be 99...three months away? from being 100 too.

I don't think there's going to be a chance that tobacco will become illegal..at least not anytime soon. I mean seriously, people buy cigarettes all the time. It's a "common" thing at grocery stores and stuff (like a 1/30 ratio maybe..).

Over here in the UK theres no chance of it being made illegal, simply because our government are making £9,000,000,000 from sales every year (if i remember correctly). Nevertheless, it should be made illegal because it is extremely dangerous in the long run.

Should it be illegal?

And if you think it should, do you think something like that is even practical in our capitalist society? Remember, Prohibition didn't work.

NO!

Just educate people, keep the good work against tobacco at all levels , don't be ashamed to tell everyone PLEASE DON'T SMOKE b/c you are sick of this.

I am against any prohibiton even marihuana, hash and all sort of drugs, keep the market open is the best way to maintain the goods controlled, for adults at reasonable prices as long as alcohol, so youngers should be not captivated to break the law.

If after all advices, information available, sickness... you still smoke, you will not look older nor chummy, but IDIOT.

I know there's a lot of fuss about the possibility of making marijuana legal. But what I think is more important is the issue of tobacco. It's one of the most dangerous/deadly recreational substances in history, but it's perfectly legal to anyone over the age of 18. It's been proven to potentially cause numerous health problems, but that doesn't stop people from smoking. Lots of people die from smoking/chewing-related health problems every day.

Should it be illegal?

And if you think it should, do you think something like that is even practical in our capitalist society? Remember, Prohibition didn't work.

Should it be illegal? Even though I don't like to smoke or like the fact that people around me do...no.

It comes down to choice. It's their choice that they'd be willing to die for their habit. There is education out there, but if people don't want to hear it, it's their choice.

And no, it wouldn't be practical in capitalist society to ban tobacco. Are there other uses for tobacco, too? I'm sure there are other than just to chew or smoke. Even with the Truth commercials and the Philip Morris commercials that came out after they lost their suit, the tobacco industry is still a billion dollar business.

People have to pay about $7.00 a pack here for 12 cigarettes and people still buy them. They've shut down smoking in most public places, and people still buy them. Maybe not as much, but they still spend money on it because they're willing to sacrifice the money.

Tobacco should remain legal.

The same reason I feel marijuana should be legalized (in the US)

I have to weigh whether it's a larger burdeon on society to pay police, judges, etc to convict marijuana (or tobacco) users, send them to prison, etc or to allow users to go ahead and smoke, even though they've all got the information right in front of them of the reasons not to smoke. And then down the line, have the users responsible for their own medical bills. This point could just as easily apply to laws requiring bicycle riders to wear helmets. If someone does not want to wear a helmet, then that's fine. Just please don't go around arresting / fining them. They've likely seen the science of how helmets prevent injury to the head, but if they want to forego it, fine.

Personally, I don't smoke either one, and never had an interest to do so. But I would, at this time, vote support keeping tobacco legal (if it ever makes it as far as a referrendum) or vote to legalize marijuana.

I detest smoking, and I can’t stress that enough. That being said, it shouldn’t be illegal. In fact, much of the smoking bans (locations, etc.) are too stringent. A private business should be able to determine if it is a smoking establishment or not. Let the local market dictate.

Smoking will never be made illegal. The government makes too much money off of it. The government makes three times the money the tobacco companies make off the products.

HOWEVER, people that smoke should be responsible for themselves. They can smoke all they want, but when they get sick THEY should pay for their own medical bills. Not the tobacco companies, not taxpayers. It is your fault you’re sick, no one else’s. If you’re too stupid to understand it is bad for you, then you’re not worth sticking around.

Tobacco.. illegal... YEAH RIGHT not only is it a major cash crop... the govt raises the prices to benefit themselves to. Which i totally think is unfair. I am a smoker and yes i know the consequences, so i want to kill myself let me do it.
So let me bring this to the table. So lets say a loved one friend someone dies of lung cancer. Do you think it is right for people to sue tobacco companys? I dont think it is fair. When you smoke you know the risks. Its right there on the box. So if i die of liver failure bc i drink can i in return sue Budlight? Of if i have sex and i still get aids can i sue the condom company? You never hear cases about that, Only people suing phillip morris... its ridiculous

Me being a smoker I dont think it should be illegal at all. And like Kaydee said it is a major cash crop so the govt. would never do it..

Syd's gonna love me for this but...here's my post from the other *Smoking* thread!
http://www.evboard.com/showpost.php?p=229650&postcount=130

but if tobacco was made illegal...we would have a hell of a lot of crabby-ass people going through withdrawal on our hands. :p :D ;)

Tobacco.. illegal... YEAH RIGHT not only is it a major cash crop... the govt raises the prices to benefit themselves to. Which i totally think is unfair. I am a smoker and yes i know the consequences, so i want to kill myself let me do it.
So let me bring this to the table. So lets say a loved one friend someone dies of lung cancer. Do you think it is right for people to sue tobacco companys? I dont think it is fair. When you smoke you know the risks. Its right there on the box. So if i die of liver failure bc i drink can i in return sue Budlight? Of if i have sex and i still get aids can i sue the condom company? You never hear cases about that, Only people suing phillip morris... its ridiculous

Exactly. It's like suing McDonalds because your fat.

What the fuck kind of sense does that make?

I can't stand cigarettes or cigarette smoke. I hate it when I'm out and about and someone is smoking, and their pollution is going into my lungs. Blah. Both my parents smoke, and I HATE it! I can't breathe, and I think it's just a disgusting habit. I doubt it would be possible to make it ilegal, since sooooooooo many people do it, but I wouldn't mind. It might possibly put 7 years back on people's life.

I can't stand cigarettes or cigarette smoke. I hate it when I'm out and about and someone is smoking, and their pollution is going into my lungs. Blah. Both my parents smoke, and I HATE it! I can't breathe, and I think it's just a disgusting habit. I doubt it would be possible to make it ilegal, since sooooooooo many people do it, but I wouldn't mind. It might possibly put 7 years back on people's life.


Exactly. It's like suing McDonalds because your fat.

What the fuck kind of sense does that make?

LOL, I remember reading about that. You have to be pretty dumb to not realize french fries and cheeseburgers are going to make you fat. Same goes as suing tabacco and liquor companies. If it warns you about the possible risks on the box, you have no right in suing them. Hehe....I keep thinking about the chick that sued McDonald's. Hehe...what is this world coming to? :rolleyes:

No way. Could you even begin to imagine a black market for tobacco? It would bring back the horrors of alcohol Prohibition and magnify them! Besides, I detest the concept of parental government. Caveat emptor.

I'm sure the additives big companies add to cigarettes in the US make them worse. Luckily I've found get inexpensive, additive free cigs at Indian Smoke Shops.

Ok. If the U.S. won't ban tobacco use, we're going to make it R-rated (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040310/ap_on_en_mo/film_hollywood_smoking_7) instead.

I wish I had something to say other than lol, but ummm...I don't :p

Seriously, an R-rating won't do any good.

You are taught from elementary age through high school age that smoking is bad for you. Problem is that I think that it's sugarcoated among younger ages.

It's simple, you smoke, your lungs turn black, you get cancer and you die.

I think tobacco should be illegal. I mean, why should a product that consists of rat poison be so easy to obtain. Tobacco is just another way of comitting suicide and harming others around you. What I don't understand is why more and more people are purchasing it when doctors have and still are discovering all of the harmful effects its toxins have on our bodies. :confused:

I think tobacco should be illegal. I mean, why should a product that consists of rat poison be so easy to obtain. Tobacco is just another way of comitting suicide and harming others around you. What I don't understand is why more and more people are purchasing it when doctors have and still are discovering all of the harmful effects its toxins have on our bodies. :confused:

It's pretty simple...because the people who smoke choose to do it. They love the smell of it, they'd eat 'em if they were edible. Again, it comes down to choice. It's a consumer's choice to get addicted to those cigarettes and then eventually die off.

We all die anyway and some choose to die in a different way than others. You only get one life, unless you believe in reincarnation, which is a totally different topic altogether.

Of if i have sex and i still get aids can i sue the condom company?

If you are USING a condom and you STILL manage to get AIDS, then... yeah!

If you are USING a condom and you STILL manage to get AIDS, then... yeah!

But what if the real reason you got aids is because you are a heroin addict?

But what if the real reason you got aids is because you are a heroin addict?

That's a good point...I mean there is no known way of telling the actual cause...

Haha... then you could still sue, but you'd prolly lose. :mrgreen:

I just think it's fucked up that people WILLINGLY do something that has been proven to be extremely harmful, and that the only real reason it's legal is because it makes a lot of money.

Shit, we might as well legalize everything else, and get rid of the double standard that is the "War on Drugs".

Could you imagine how much money the govt would make if they legalized just marijuana... I have friends that live off just dealing... and they live better than i do~ they would make a ton and maybe they should give it to schools so they can have some libraries :eek:

Could you imagine how much money the govt would make if they legalized just marijuana... I have friends that live off just dealing... and they live better than i do~ they would make a ton and maybe they should give it to schools so they can have some libraries :eek:

LMFAO~!!!!

I wonder where you got that idea from :rolleyes: :p

sorry it just fit so well in there i couldnt resist. It was the first thing that came to mind ;)

Could you imagine how much money the govt would make if they legalized just marijuana... I have friends that live off just dealing... and they live better than i do~ they would make a ton and maybe they should give it to schools so they can have some libraries :eek:

My co-worker told me that she believes the only reason why marijuana is illegal, is because there is no way the government can find a way to tax it. You can't keep track of all of it. That is a point....I dunno if it's the real reason, but it makes sense.

It totally makes sense. and that so scares the govt i think. Something that they can't control. But i dont know about other states but VA has changed there laws before if you were to get caught with marijuana you got charged now i think it is if its under a quater you dont get charged i guess they think it is a waste of time so..

Back on topic lol....

Then again, if marijuana is legalized, I would think that the price would be cheaper and it would be a lot more accessible. I'm just saying. Doesn't the government/police seize drug money anyway? I'm thinking they're making more money because it's illegal.

Sure tobacco is bad, everyone knows that. How could they not? People still chose to smoke and cause deterioration to their bodies, but they knew what would inevitably happen, they knew the risks, they knew everything that would come about from smoking, but they still choose to do so. I think it comes down to free-will; cigarettes isn't a silent killer, I guess you could say. Everyone knows that affects from a young age, and smokers can tell when their condition worsens over time. They are killing themselves, can't say their school, the media, everything and everyone else, didn't tell them what will happen. If they chose to continue to smoke knowing the risks, it's their business if they want to shorten their lives and kill themselves, as if they didn't know when they lit up of the first time. Let it be legal, I have no problem with it. What should be illegal is smoking in public places such as resturants where the person's bad habit could affects the health of others.

also i think that some people believe the marijuana is a 'gateway' drug. Which i totally disagree about but that just me too. OK enough about MARY JANE!

So, for Ella's edification, what do you guys think of smoking in public? It's been repeatedly established that second-hand smoke is more harmful than the kind you inhale, so why should I be forced to suffer harm to my lungs just to allow someone the "right" to smoke?

<3 Mary

I just think it's fucked up that people WILLINGLY do something that has been proven to be extremely harmful, and that the only real reason it's legal is because it makes a lot of money.Actually, I would say the real reason behind keeping tobacco use legal, is because of the large amount of people who are already addicted. Think about it. How do you make something illegal, while people are already struggling to break the habit, and cannot. The government would obviously have to implement some sort of program for withdrawls and rehabs, and that alone would be a devastating amount of money. Not only that but what if it were to be made illegal, then what? We start spending huge amount of money jailing prosecutors?

Tobacco should stay legalized because whether it kills you or not, it's each to his own decision to make. Making tobacco illegal may seem like a good idea, but the black market is a hell of a lot harder to control.

My co-worker told me that she believes the only reason why marijuana is illegal, is because there is no way the government can find a way to tax it. You can't keep track of all of it. That is a point....I dunno if it's the real reason, but it makes sense.Why can't you tax it again? Legalizing marijuana can add more regulated systems, take aways the criminality, can then be added to the driving while under the influence act (meaning you can be tested for over a certain percent at road blocks), set ground rules as to where it can be sold and such (will help stop drug trafficking), and most importantly the finaces collected from taxing this can then be used in educating and research this and other related drugs and alcohol.

This is just ridiculous. Now they're trying to ban you from smoking in your OWN CAR. At least in New Jersey.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050725/ap_on_re_us/smoking_drivers

"The day a politician wants to tell me I can't smoke in my car, that's the day he takes over my lease payments"

ahahaha... they've nothing to think about so they invent new prohibitions... it's ridiculous... i don't smoke, but if someone smokes it's just his business if he fills his car with smoke... it doesn't harm other people..

Next, people won't be able to smoke in their houses.....sheesh...

ahahaha... they've nothing to think about so they invent new prohibitions... it's ridiculous... i don't smoke, but if someone smokes it's just his business if he fills his car with smoke... it doesn't harm other people..
The argument that is being made is that smoking is a distraction, distracted drivers harm other people. New Jersey apparently already has laws against using a cell phone while driving.

ahahaha... they've nothing to think about so they invent new prohibitions... it's ridiculous... i don't smoke, but if someone smokes it's just his business if he fills his car with smoke... it doesn't harm other people..


I guess we should be worrying more about teaching kids how to punctuate and capitalize.

You're right, it doesn't harm other people until the driver is paying more attention to lighting the cigarette, not burning himself and smoking it.
A friend of mine was actually in a car accident because she was trying to light a cigarette. She slammed into a jersey wall on I-95, and when she 'woke up' She was driving the wrong way, and then hit another jersey wall.

hmm well i have done some reading and i once read an article where there is this remote little island where everyone smokes even the young ones but the ironic part is they lead healthier long lasting lives then that of an city slicker who smokes, the reason is because one it is pure tobbacco and none of this factory added things, the foods the eat and the way they live, i guess what im trying to say is that if you combined smoking with pollution a bad diet,high cholestrol and many of the governmental wrie offs now days then yes smoking should be illegal, but if we lived in a world where everyone walked to where they were going and there was no such thing as fast food then the illegalization of smoking would not be has highly debated as it has become

~just another silly little thought ~

Kiss a smoker is like licky an ashtray...
I am still confused, if tobacco is so horrible I do not understand why people are still smoking... pleassure??? ego???? I am so pretty-sexual-atractive with my cigarette in my lips?
Smell bad, tasty bad, dirty teeth... long etc
When i see a nice girl I can feel embarrased and fell in love (maybe) :rolleyes: as soon as tobacco turn up... shit! all glamour goes to hell... forever :mad:

ahahaha... they've nothing to think about so they invent new prohibitions... it's ridiculous... i don't smoke, but if someone smokes it's just his business if he fills his car with smoke... it doesn't harm other people..

What if other people are in the car?

When you drive. You are responsible. It is Your responsibility to make sure everyone in your car is safe. And, If someone dies because you made a mistake. You are responsible for murder. It may not be first degree murder. But, it's murder, you can face Jail Time. Not to mention the guilt of having killed someone that you probally cared about if they where in your car. I don't care how much your car cost, how much your daddy makes in an hour. It is Your fault. You can't run away from it. Even if someone dies in another car, because of Your mistake. You are still responsible. To put it in perspective- If you are a careless driver, you obviously have not had to go to your best friends funeral, Your daughters funeral, Your son's funeral. I know people who have, because there son's or daughters or friend's friends where being careless with a car. R.I.P Clint, Josh, Bethany, Blaine and the list goes on.

If you want to ruin your own health, in your home. Go Ahead, I don't care, if you're stupid enough to not relize the health risks, I really don't know why I should care. But, as soon as you become a distracted driver, It become my buisness. If I get hurt because you needed a nicotine fix, and couldn't wait to pull into a gas station to light up. It is not my fault, It is not the person who was driving the car I was in's fault (unless they where the ones lighting the cigarette). It is your fault.

New Jersey has every right to ban smoking in cars. I've watched enough people die from drunk driving. I really don't want to see people die from being distracted. Everytime I hand my mom my cell phone, I am making a concious desicion that the driving is not to complicated and she has done it enough times to talk while driving. If she gets in an accident because she is distracted, it is partailly my fault. I misjugded the road and her driving ability. It's not about banning cigarette's or tobacco. It's about getting people to be more responsible drivers.

If after all advices, information available, sickness... you still smoke, you will not look older nor chummy, but IDIOT

The D.A.R.E program in the United States established in the late 1980s/early 1990s that, despite high levels of education, children were just as likely to grow up and smoke/do drugs as a placebo group.

Kiss a smoker is like licky an ashtray...
I am still confused, if tobacco is so horrible I do not understand why people are still smoking... pleassure??? ego???? I am so pretty-sexual-atractive with my cigarette in my lips?
Smell bad, tasty bad, dirty teeth... long etc
When i see a nice girl I can feel embarrased and fell in love (maybe) :rolleyes: as soon as tobacco turn up... shit! all glamour goes to hell... forever :mad:

how does this contribute to the debate? YOU don't like smoking. falls under opinion, not debate. YOU don't understand why someone smokes. You think people only do it to look cool?!?! how do you feel about it being legal/ not able to get it till 18 in USA/ should govt be involved at all in making it legal/illegal/restrcited? Saying how much you hate smoker and making fun of those who smokes is exactly what we DO NOT need in a debate.

The D.A.R.E program in the United States established in the late 1980s/early 1990s that, despite high levels of education, children were just as likely to grow up and smoke/do drugs as a placebo group.

that is because they used "recovering" addicts. They found that having people come to schools to speak, who were recovering, had the opposite effect they were looking for. kids were like "well, they got over their addiction, so I can too".

About smoking in cars...if they can ban cell phones based on how distracting they are, they should ban smoking. takes a lot of concentration to light a cigarette while driving. And, to flick the ashes after every puff. How many people do you know who put the butt in their car? Everyone I know throws it out the window. that too, is a distraction and a danger to other drivers.

About banning it because of the health risk to passengers...if you can smoke in your home, you should be allowed to smoke in your car. It is your own personal choice if you want to screw up the lungs of other people in your presence while you in your private property. Should you do it, no. But, does the government have a right to tell you that you cannot smoke in your car because your passengers wouldn't like it. That is a REALLY long arm of the law there.

So, i agree smoking should be banned in cars, but for the simple reason it is a distraction. Not under the false pretense that we are looking out for the health of passengers.

Reviving thread, due to a new angle of this debate.

Scotts Miracle-Grow is giving it's employees until October to quit... or they're fired. I take issue to this because tobacco is legal, and a publicly traded company does not have the right to dictate the behaviors of it's employees like this.

So what if smoking increases healthcare costs, private business should stay just that. It's a purely internal / personal decision.

Article (http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/13378291.htm):

Company demands workers give up smoking to keep jobs
Associated Press
MARYSVILLE, Ohio - Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., looking for ways to hold down health insurance costs, will require workers who smoke to quit by October or lose their jobs.

The lawn and garden company wants workers to live healthy lifestyles, said James Hagedorn, the company's chairman and chief executive. Scotts recently opened a $5 million fitness and medical facility.

Scotts is joining other companies focusing on smokers to cut health insurance costs. Some companies make employees who smoke pay higher health insurance premiums, or don't hire them.

"Why would we admit someone into this environment when they're passing risk along to everyone else? Our view is we shouldn't and we won't," Hagedorn said.

Scotts, which made $100 million on sales of $2.3 billion in its last fiscal year, has 6,000 employees in the United States and overseas. It said it can fire smokers legally in 21 states.

"We're being as aggressive as the law will allow us, to keep our costs under control," Hagedorn said.

Scotts pays for 75 percent of employees' health insurance but won't say how much that runs.

The company also will require higher premiums for workers who refuse to take a health survey in 2006. In 2007, premiums will rise for workers who don't follow doctor recommendations to improve their health.

In a 2004 survey of 270 professionals, the Society for Human Resource Management found 4.4 percent preferred to not hire smokers. Fewer than 1 percent said their companies have a formal policy against hiring smokers.
This year, Okemos, Mich.-based Weyco Inc. began firing workers who smoke.
Scotts, based in this town 30 miles northwest of Columbus, is offering free counseling, nicotine patches and classes on quitting to workers who smoke. The company hasn't figure out how it will determine whether employees are in compliance, spokesman Jim King said.

Lewis Maltby, president of the New Jersey-based National Workrights Institute, a group working to expand human rights in the workplace, said he disagrees with the policy.

"What you do in your own home on your own time is none of your boss' business," Maltby said.

He acknowledges that smokers do generate higher medical costs, but employers can take steps, such as charging smokers more for health insurance.
I will definitely follow this case in court, assuming there's a class action lawsuit filed.

Here's an interesting link to CDC that may shed some light on why a company might do this:

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/economics/mm5425_pressrelease.htm

wow are they going to fire all the overweight people as well, as a smoker i feel that the whole not smoking propaganda is infringing on my rights as a citizen....... enough of that their is no way that the Government can make tobacco illegal, and as a side note Marijauna was legal in this country up untill 1931 i think....