3 ms·
Cigarettes are taxed at $4.35/pack to discourage smoking. But you can get syringes for free.
by wwarner 4y ago
Cigarettes are taxed at $4.35/pack to discourage smoking. But you can get syringes for free.
- tonyarkles 4y agoI get the point you’re trying to make, but there’s a bit of nuance here and there. Long-term I agree with you: - smoking has long-term negative health outcomes - drug abuse also has long-term negative health outcomes Short term: - I can’t even really think of a dirty-needle equivalent for smoking - using a dirty needle has a large number of short-term/acute/immediate outcomes: infection, incurable disease (Hepatitis, HIV, etc) and spreads between users It’s not as if we’re taxing cigarettes and giving away fentanyl for free to everyone. Yes, we even do give some drugs out for free (e.g., methadone and suboxone), but only to people who have already ruined their reward systems and become addicted. I couldn’t go to a doctor or a clinic and say “the last time I consumed an opiate was 12 years ago after my knee surgery but please sign me up for free methadone!”
- maxerickson 4y agoHepatitis C is often curable these days. The treatments aren't effective 100% of the time, but much of the time the virus is cleared completely.