> The most effective measure against smoking is taxation. That is certainly one of the levers used in Australia. It has also promoted a thriving black market f

> The most effective measure against smoking is taxation. That is certainly one of the levers used in Australia. It has also promoted a thriving black market for cigarettes. There’s a balancing act there.[4] Other measures such as plain packaging, graphic warnings on packaging and banning in many public places are also in use here. A while ago I listened to a Freakonomics podcast[1] about how to make people quit smoking. There were two related points that stuck with me. 1. Nicotine can have a lot of positive benefits. As one of their experts stated, “Good drug, bad delivery system.” [2] 2. One of those benefits is a possible anti-depressant effect. So smoking may inadvertently be treating a person’s undiagnosed mental health issue[3], an additional difficulty when trying to quit smoking. This second point has made me a little more compassionate towards smokers, and to the difficulty of quitting. (As least in theory, still get annoyed when I can smell cigarette smoke on myself after a trip down to the shops because of some smoker on the sidewalk.) [1] http://freakonomics.com/2014/04/03/how-to-make-people-quit-smoking-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/ http://freakonomics.com/2014/04/03/how-to-make-people-quit-s... [2] I don’t think smoking, and trying to quit smoking, it just about the nicotine. That’s just one aspect of the issue. [3] NOT advocating this as an excuse to continue smoking. There are better treatments. [4] “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to get the most feathers with the least hissing.” — Jean Baptiste Colbert