Smoking Cigarettes : The bête noire of Our Day

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The West has gone stark staring mad!
Western politicians make me so angry! They have been waging a war on smokers for years now. They have made it virtually impossible to smoke anywhere outside of one’s home, thus taking away all pleasure of socializing with others in cafés, restaurants, or in any other public space. This, by the way, has led to loneliness in society.

But more than this, they are pricing smokers out of the market. In the UK, the price of a packet of Marlboro Reds is £12.50! Moreover, I have been informed that the price of such a packet will soon increase yet again!

Of that £12.50, probably £12 of that price is tax! So taxing cigarettes so much is a good money-spinner for governments. This is shameless taxation, just as the use of speeding fines is. UK roads are peppered with speed cameras. Another great money-spinner for successive governments. But I digress.

I am fortunate inasmuch as I can do without smokes. In fact, I have gone a week without smoking even one cigarette. Being without is not a problem for me. I have decided that I am not going to fill the coffers of this dreadful government with any more tax than I absolutely must. But I must say that I do resent doing without a small pleasure because our governments are totally and utterly irresponsible re- smoking.

Why do I say this? For a number of reasons… First of all, I do not think that smoking in moderation is particularly harmful. People who have given up smoking look for other pleasures in life, pleasures like sweet foods, which lead to diabetes. I am diabetes-free, and I attribute that fact to being a moderate smoker for most of my adult life.

You see, not smoking is only better than smoking if people do not substitute one ‘bad habit’ with another. But only the few can do that. Most people, when they give up smoking, start partaking of other things to replace the pleasure of smoking.

But what really annoys me about the pathetic Western politicians we are being led by is this: They are relaxing the laws against smoking other substances whilst at the very same time taking the pleasure of smoking a simple cigarette out of the reach of many hard-working people. Such politicians deserve to be voted out of office. Pronto!

© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved

Check this out: A ‘Wild West’ of Marijuana Shops Grows in Toronto: Permitted to operate during the pandemic, even during lockdowns, Toronto’s marijuana shops have flourished and changed the character of an iconic neighborhood. »

Tobacco Companies Blitz Airwaves to Block California Tax on Cigarettes
THE GUARDIAN: Two-thirds of California voters backed the $1 extra tax, but two months later, the margin is narrowing in run up to Tuesday's vote

An advertising blitz funded by tobacco companies has eroded Californians' support for a ballot measure to raise taxes on cigarettes, putting the vote's outcome in doubt.

Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds have flooded airwaves with warnings that the proposed $1 tax on cigarette packs is a flawed idea which would bloat government bureaucracy and funnel money out of the state.

The energetic $47.7m campaign – more than triple the yes campaign – has been fronted by anti-tax activists and dramatically reduced support for Proposition 29, a June 5 ballot measure backed by anti-cancer groups.

"We are still ahead but it's very close. Big tobacco has a bottomless budget to tell lies," said David Veneziano, head of the American Cancer Society's California chapter. "They are trying to protect their profits."

Two months ago about two-thirds of voters backed the measure but that has tumbled to just over half, according to a Public Policy Institute of California survey. "Today, 53% say they will vote yes, 42% say they will vote no, and 5% are undecided on the measure." » | Rory Carroll in Los Angeles | Monday, June 04, 2012

Russia to Shock Smokers with Giant Cigarette Pack Warnings
AFP: MOSCOW — Russia is to introduce prominent health warnings on cigarette packs for the first time on Saturday to shock smokers in the nicotine-addicted country with messages about impotency and wrinkles.

Under the new rules, cigarette producers must cover at least 30 percent of the front of cigarette packs with one of 12 warnings, ranging from "Smoking causes lung cancer" to "Smoking can cause impotency".

Warnings must also cover 50 percent of the back of the pack. >>> | Friday, June 25, 2010

Ridiculous*! California to Hold Statewide November Vote on Legalising Marijuana
TIMES ONLINE: To get high or to not get high — that will be the question on the ballot in California’s November elections.
As the Golden State’s hippies reach retirement age, pro-marijuana advocates have joined forces in an effort finally to force a state-wide vote on making weed legal, and not just for medical purposes.

Under the proposed law smoking marijuana to get high would be as acceptable as drinking beer to get drunk as long as users were aged 21 or older. It would also become legal to grow up to 25 sq ft (2.3sq m) of the plants per residence, and for local governments to authorise and tax the transportation and sale of the drug.

If the ten-page initiative is passed it could set in motion a chain of events throughout the US that could bring an end to the era of marijuana prohibition. Or at least that is what marijuana advocates hope. >>> Chris Ayres, Los Angeles | Thursday, March 25, 2010

*Where the hell is the sense in all but banning the smoking of tobacco almost everywhere in California only to leagalize the smoking of marijuana? People are taking leave of their senses! So is tobacco-smoking to be brought back in bars and restaurants, too? It should be if the smoking of marijuana is going to be allowed. – © Mark

NuLabour Plans New Curbs on Smoking
THE INDEPENDENT: Cigarettes will be banned from public display in shops and vending machines are to be scrapped under dramatic new plans designed to curb smoking among young people.

Packets of 10 cigarettes will also be outlawed under proposals to be published later this week by the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson. A consultation paper includes plans to force cigarettes to be kept "under the counter" out of public view, Mr Johnson said.

His comments came as he praised moves by the Scottish government to ban cigarettes on display north of the border. "I think they're right to do that and we're considering that as well," said the Health Secretary.

It represents a further dramatic step in a decade-long campaign to curb the consumption of tobacco products. That has been seen as an infringement of individual rights and civil liberties for some time but anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed each move as a step towards dramatically improving the nation's health. The Last Gasp: Health Secretary Signals New Smoking Curbs >>> By Ben Russell | May 26, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Obama’s “Dirty Little Secret”: He Enjoys a Cigarette! Well, Well! How Shocking!
Photo of Obama smoking a cigarette courtesy of Google Images
Get real, America! The fact that Obama smokes cigarettes is totally irrelevant. Its his inexperience that troubles me most, not his smoking habit. I couldn't care less whether he enjoys smoking tobacco.

Have we in the West become so prissy and precious that it is important that our leaders mustn’t smoke and enjoy a cigarette? We have so many far bigger issues to worry about. This is truly pathetic, Fox News!

Smoking tip for Obama: There are more elegant ways of smoking than letting a fag dangle from one's mouth in such an ungainly manner.

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Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)