Anyone else sick and tired of hearing anti tobacco lobbyists?

[fredjacksonsan]

....aaaand let's attack the message and not the messenger.

You could say that smokers are weak because they smoke. But in more than 90% of people I know that smoke, they started at a young age, and were either dared to do it or did it to fit into a certain group. When you're 12 or 14 you don't usually think or care about the addictive quality of something you are doing, only that you don't stand out like a sore thumb and/or get made fun of. So are smokers weak? Perhaps. But not having been a smoker I cannot begin to say what the addiction feels like; and it IS an addiction we are talking about. Sure, smoking is pleasurable for those who do it. But at the heart of the matter there is addiction. If you have smoked awhile, it's supposedly harder to quit than cocaine - and that's tough.

IMO it's a personal choice to smoke or not. If you decide that, although you enjoy it, it's bad for you and could end up killing you, then it is your daily decision to continue it....or not. And we all know that the easy decision isn't always the best one. So if you were a smoker for several years and then quit, say on against the weakness of smokers. But if you haven't, then how do you know?

[lamehonda]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

....aaaand let's attack the message and not the messenger.

It's funny you should say that because there is a anti-smoking billboard in town here that says

"Don't secondhand smoke the messanger"

No, even if adults have a hard time quiting, mabye it will help our children not to start. After all, they are our future.

[Jimster]

Originally Posted by BrodyP

Smoking kills its fact, get over it. Your weak if you smoke. Fighting for your right to kill yourself slowly is smart, keep it up.

Give me your address. I'm coming over to blow smoke in your face.


I can't speak for the rest of the world, but I know a packet of Cigarettes tax-free costs around NZ$3, yet if I was to buy one it'd be $11. So that's $8 in tax that I would pay per pack. 365 packs a year would see that add up nicely.

I think Smokers are doing a better job of paying for their health care than obese people who insist on filling up with KFC are.


Just for those nutting out the currency thing, $1 NZ = $0.69 US