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They've been able to keep the Corona out... If it were up to me we would have started reducing the amount of nicotine in tobacco by 5% a year starting 30 years

They've been able to keep the Corona out... If it were up to me we would have started reducing the amount of nicotine in tobacco by 5% a year starting 30 years ago.

strogonoff 6y ago
Tobacco industry would be all over this proposal, as people will just buy more cigarettes. As a thought experiment, raising minimum allowed nicotine contents up to a level where an average person experiences the unpleasant effects of mild nicotine overdose (dizziness and further) without long-term damage is what could actually force some smokers to quit, and more others to never start. That would be a very controversial measure, of course (and those with dedication would be willing to work around it by breaking the container).
refurb 6y ago
Black market in cigarettes will be the result no doubt. People smuggle cigarettes into Singapore for god sakes.
dasKrokodil 6y ago
Although nicotine is poisonous, it's not really what kills smokers. That would be the tar.
- LinuxBender 6y ago
  One causes cancer, the other causes or contributes to atherosclerosis. [1] [1] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755365/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755365/
anfilt 6y ago
it's not really the nicotine that's the problem, it's the delivery method.
- genocidicbunny 6y ago
  Nicotine is a large part of the addiction capability of the delivery method. I think the trouble is that all that limiting nicotine would do is increase consumption (you need more cigarettes to get the same nicotine fix) and thus would actually increase the damage. It needs to be combined with other measures to be effective.
- carlhjerpe 6y ago
  In Sweden "snus" is really common, usually delivered in poches[1]. Health consequences doesn't seem too bad[2]. I'm a user and "my doctor" doesn't really think there's an issue with that, while everyone suggests people to stop smoking. It's very non-invasive and quite cheap. It'd be more expensive for me to stop (because of increased sugar consumption, which is also bad for your health). EDIT: My dentist even said Snus is good for my teeth since something related to the PH level of the saliva, but bad for your gum, so you need to be careful brushing and such. 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Portioned_snus.jpg/220px-Portioned_snus.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Po... 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus#Health_consequences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus#Health_consequences
engineer_22 6y ago
I think this is a good idea. Cigarettes smell bad and are expensive. If they don't scratch the itch, people would switch to vaporizers, patches, or gum.

They've been able to keep the Corona out... If it were up to me we would have started reducing the amount of nicotine in tobacco by 5% a year starting 30 years ago.

strogonoff 6y ago

Tobacco industry would be all over this proposal, as people will just buy more cigarettes. As a thought experiment, raising minimum allowed nicotine contents up to a level where an average person experiences the unpleasant effects of mild nicotine overdose (dizziness and further) without long-term damage is what could actually force some smokers to quit, and more others to never start. That would be a very controversial measure, of course (and those with dedication would be willing to work around it by breaking the container).

refurb 6y ago

Black market in cigarettes will be the result no doubt. People smuggle cigarettes into Singapore for god sakes.

dasKrokodil 6y ago

Although nicotine is poisonous, it's not really what kills smokers. That would be the tar.

LinuxBender 6y ago
One causes cancer, the other causes or contributes to atherosclerosis. [1] [1] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755365/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755365/

anfilt 6y ago

it's not really the nicotine that's the problem, it's the delivery method.

genocidicbunny 6y ago
Nicotine is a large part of the addiction capability of the delivery method. I think the trouble is that all that limiting nicotine would do is increase consumption (you need more cigarettes to get the same nicotine fix) and thus would actually increase the damage. It needs to be combined with other measures to be effective.
carlhjerpe 6y ago
In Sweden "snus" is really common, usually delivered in poches[1]. Health consequences doesn't seem too bad[2]. I'm a user and "my doctor" doesn't really think there's an issue with that, while everyone suggests people to stop smoking. It's very non-invasive and quite cheap. It'd be more expensive for me to stop (because of increased sugar consumption, which is also bad for your health). EDIT: My dentist even said Snus is good for my teeth since something related to the PH level of the saliva, but bad for your gum, so you need to be careful brushing and such. 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Portioned_snus.jpg/220px-Portioned_snus.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Po... 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus#Health_consequences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus#Health_consequences

engineer_22 6y ago

I think this is a good idea. Cigarettes smell bad and are expensive. If they don't scratch the itch, people would switch to vaporizers, patches, or gum.