Chaz; Smoking is a voluntary tax on the stupid. By definition only stupid people smoke. Look around you and it is obvious.
Several friends of mine will not hire smokers, nor do I, they are generally dummies who place gratification above their own good, such people will steal as well. Smokers are rapidly getting eased out or corporate boardrooms everywhere.
It is funny though, the cigar craze? Apparently you can buy them, wave them about and pretend to be an afficionada, and never smoke one.
Re; There are some rules. For example I never act as messenger to buy cigarettes. If I am going to the store I will not buy cigarettes for another, I refuse, and let them stew. I never let people smoke in my house or in my presence. If the place is not under my control I simply leave, no matter what the consequences.
A gradual incremental pressure like that from all people in all walks of life has tobacco in retreat in many places.
What they need to do is place a federal tax of $2 per pack, at the factory door with no exceptions.
In Canada there are a few Indian reservations that straddle the USA/Canada border. The reservation would order a truckload of cigarettes(tax free to Indian res). Once delivered they would be sold in Canada. A $2 tax would stop this. The you get the Indians to apply for a tax refund of $2 per pack. Since you can count all the indians and giev them a 2 pack per day max refund for those over 16 you would stop this in an instant. In addition the $2 would go to disparate Indians. Currently the smuggling $ goes to biker/mafia gangs and very little to the indians(and even then to a few rich Indians)
I would say that the taxes should be much higher so they would be a powerful disincentive to smoke a lot. Addicts would smoke fewer a day at $5 each. The rich would smoke all they want to, also at $5 each.
Handle heroin and cocaine like Singapore does. Death by automatic machine gun for traffickers.
Get rid of the Miranda doctrine. If the police get evidence illegally, punish the police for the illegal act they did in getting the evidence. The evidence is just a gathered fact. Getting it legally or illegally should make no difference to the use of that fact. There are many poison trees with edible fruit, and edible trees with poison fruit. Let the police pay the penalty for illegal searches and seizures. But let whatever they find stand in court.
Lawyers might hate this, as they have optimized the feeding(feeing) potential of the current system.
Bill |
