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Increased taxes don't have effect on people with poor life choices. I have a few colleagues who are way behind paycheck to paycheck, but will always have smoke

Increased taxes don't have effect on people with poor life choices. I have a few colleagues who are way behind paycheck to paycheck, but will always have smokes. They would rather have a pack or 2 and skip meals not being able to afford them (packs costing ~$13 cad).

toomuchtodo 9y ago
Indeed. The only solution is subsidized rehabilitation or elimination of tobacco (the latter I intend to kickstart, to fund the use of CRISPR to gene drive a detrimental gene in tobacco). If we can do it with mosquitoes, no reason we can’t use it against tobacco.
- mnx 9y ago
  That sounds like a really bad idea. Also, you can make synthetic nicotine. So eliminating tobacco wouldn't help.
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    Nicotine, while highly addictive, would still cause far less damage to its users if consumed through a patch, gum or e-cigarette. I’m disrupting a suboptimal consumption method.
    - mirimir 9y ago
      Indeed. The last time that I quit tobacco, I kept chewing nicotine gum for several months. To get the attention-focusing effect. But I really don't like chewing gum, and so gave it up. And modafinil is better, anyway.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Congratulations on quitting!
        mirimir 9y ago
        Hey, thanks :) I went 20 years using, 10 years off, one year using, and now over 10 years off. It's a damn hard drug to kick.
- kodablah 9y ago
  When reading this comment, I am glad prohibitionists didn't have these scientific tools a century ago. Creepy.
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    What’s the difference between malaria and tobacco use, considering nicotine is highly addictive? If substance abuse is a disease, why is it “wrong” to attack it or it’s vectors in the same way as a biological disease?
    - kodablah 9y ago
      Because the carriers are not mosquitoes? "If X is a disease, why is it 'wrong' to attack it or it's vectors in the same way as a biological disease?" Surely you can see what a nonsensical statement that is for many values of X be it substance abuse, gambling, etc.
      - toomuchtodo 9y ago
        I don’t. If we’re not going to outlaw substances that have extremely limited therapeutical uses in their current form while allowing corporations to profit by causing great harm to millions of people, you explore other avenues to fix the problem. I’d offer a vaccine for addiction if one existed, but until that time, you hack around the lack of political will.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
scruple 9y ago
My brother in law drifts in and out of homelessness and maintains about a pack a day habit. He collects SSI, and has some meager savings from when he was working last summer, and most of that money goes to cigarettes, fast food, and whatever else he self-medicates with. I've never asked him but I wouldn't be surprised if he got them off of the black market, considering that he frequents places like Skid Row and the sprawling tent city in north Orange County. Another anecdote, I recall that when I was in the military I actually met a guy who would buy cartons on base and sell the packs off base (they were tax free on base). He was in to all sorts of fringe black market style activities like this. He was also a bootlegger. He hawked his shit at swap meets. This guy was active duty, an E5 with what looked to be a healthy start to a career focused on his service. I learned after I had separated that he had been caught up in an investigation and was court martialed. I also heard from my brother, who was also in the service, that a handful of active duty guys in his own unit in upstate NY would cross in to Canada to buy cartons to smuggle back across the border to sell in the US. This would've been in the late 80s or early 90s. I guess my point is, if there's a market for this sort of activity then there is safe money in betting that it's happening some how. And it attributes itself well to the notion that people without a whole lot of money are able to engage in what looks like a very expensive habit to many of us.
- sergers 9y ago
  I am not from Greece, so can't comment, but I agree with you and bet it's happening. Definitely has been happening here as long as I can remember. People pickup cartons coming back from US trips and resell them,, you can get it at less than half price locally. Cartons can be had for 30-40$ usd at duty free. I have coworkers who travel 90%, they always bring back cartons and charge $20 markup. Bringing cartons across from another province as they have less taxes. Buying from the "native reserves" as it's tax free. Buy from Asian convenience store, cause they are importing illegally at a lower cost. Heck, not sure how easy u can pass customs nowadays, but you could buy cartons online from europe 5-10 years ago with ease illegally. There's many options. Smoking is a convenient crutch for people addicted, it's crazy that something that can make you feel like shit, but can also temporarily make you feel better. (Mindset of a smoker... I could chain smoke, feel like crap. My next thought is, maybe I should have another one). If anyone wants to quit, I suggest the following as mandatory Reading: Alan Carr: easy way quit smoking (many iterations on title). This is a magnificent book that has helped many people I know, including myself. Helps you understand the addiction, the hold it has over you (which is mostlt mental), and helps put you in the right mind frame to quit.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

Indeed. The only solution is subsidized rehabilitation or elimination of tobacco (the latter I intend to kickstart, to fund the use of CRISPR to gene drive a detrimental gene in tobacco). If we can do it with mosquitoes, no reason we can’t use it against tobacco.

mnx 9y ago
That sounds like a really bad idea. Also, you can make synthetic nicotine. So eliminating tobacco wouldn't help.
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  Nicotine, while highly addictive, would still cause far less damage to its users if consumed through a patch, gum or e-cigarette. I’m disrupting a suboptimal consumption method.
  - mirimir 9y ago
    Indeed. The last time that I quit tobacco, I kept chewing nicotine gum for several months. To get the attention-focusing effect. But I really don't like chewing gum, and so gave it up. And modafinil is better, anyway.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      Congratulations on quitting!
      - mirimir 9y ago
        Hey, thanks :) I went 20 years using, 10 years off, one year using, and now over 10 years off. It's a damn hard drug to kick.
kodablah 9y ago
When reading this comment, I am glad prohibitionists didn't have these scientific tools a century ago. Creepy.
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  What’s the difference between malaria and tobacco use, considering nicotine is highly addictive? If substance abuse is a disease, why is it “wrong” to attack it or it’s vectors in the same way as a biological disease?
  - kodablah 9y ago
    Because the carriers are not mosquitoes? "If X is a disease, why is it 'wrong' to attack it or it's vectors in the same way as a biological disease?" Surely you can see what a nonsensical statement that is for many values of X be it substance abuse, gambling, etc.
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      I don’t. If we’re not going to outlaw substances that have extremely limited therapeutical uses in their current form while allowing corporations to profit by causing great harm to millions of people, you explore other avenues to fix the problem. I’d offer a vaccine for addiction if one existed, but until that time, you hack around the lack of political will.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

scruple 9y ago

My brother in law drifts in and out of homelessness and maintains about a pack a day habit. He collects SSI, and has some meager savings from when he was working last summer, and most of that money goes to cigarettes, fast food, and whatever else he self-medicates with. I've never asked him but I wouldn't be surprised if he got them off of the black market, considering that he frequents places like Skid Row and the sprawling tent city in north Orange County. Another anecdote, I recall that when I was in the military I actually met a guy who would buy cartons on base and sell the packs off base (they were tax free on base). He was in to all sorts of fringe black market style activities like this. He was also a bootlegger. He hawked his shit at swap meets. This guy was active duty, an E5 with what looked to be a healthy start to a career focused on his service. I learned after I had separated that he had been caught up in an investigation and was court martialed. I also heard from my brother, who was also in the service, that a handful of active duty guys in his own unit in upstate NY would cross in to Canada to buy cartons to smuggle back across the border to sell in the US. This would've been in the late 80s or early 90s. I guess my point is, if there's a market for this sort of activity then there is safe money in betting that it's happening some how. And it attributes itself well to the notion that people without a whole lot of money are able to engage in what looks like a very expensive habit to many of us.

sergers 9y ago
I am not from Greece, so can't comment, but I agree with you and bet it's happening. Definitely has been happening here as long as I can remember. People pickup cartons coming back from US trips and resell them,, you can get it at less than half price locally. Cartons can be had for 30-40$ usd at duty free. I have coworkers who travel 90%, they always bring back cartons and charge $20 markup. Bringing cartons across from another province as they have less taxes. Buying from the "native reserves" as it's tax free. Buy from Asian convenience store, cause they are importing illegally at a lower cost. Heck, not sure how easy u can pass customs nowadays, but you could buy cartons online from europe 5-10 years ago with ease illegally. There's many options. Smoking is a convenient crutch for people addicted, it's crazy that something that can make you feel like shit, but can also temporarily make you feel better. (Mindset of a smoker... I could chain smoke, feel like crap. My next thought is, maybe I should have another one). If anyone wants to quit, I suggest the following as mandatory Reading: Alan Carr: easy way quit smoking (many iterations on title). This is a magnificent book that has helped many people I know, including myself. Helps you understand the addiction, the hold it has over you (which is mostlt mental), and helps put you in the right mind frame to quit.