Want to Quit Smoking? Think Again

By Michael H. on June 4, 2012

photo from flickr.com, uploaded at http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanmccoyphotos/5187390915/

I am now in what some might call my third attempt to quit smoking. They’re half-hearted attempts, because I don’t actually wish to quit. I’m always trying to quit because other people want me to quit, or it will at least make them feel better if they hear that I’m trying.

I love smoking. I love how it makes me feel. I don’t think that I should have to justify my feelings to anyone. It’s not them that I’m hurting – I smoke outside, alone. I won’t yell at a fat person for eating a Twinkie and disrupting the aesthetics of my vision, so why should they yell at me for doing no more than hurting an invisible part of myself?

First, some interesting information about nicotine, the most addictive component found within cigarettes. It’s a stimulant, which improves alertness. It can help allay depression and anxiety. Smokers are less likely to have ulcerative colitis, as well as some possible protection against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. For those worried about their figure, smokers are less likely to be obese than non-smokers. (Smoking causes the taste buds to weaken, so you can avoid that unnecessary dessert.)

Our tasteful, smoking hot, red-headed friends aren’t that expensive. In fact, twenty of them will be yours for just a few dollars. A good percentage of those dollars will turn into tax dollars. Those tax dollars will help pay for public expenses that might eventually come from smoking.

With the economy in such a sorry state, why has America decided that smoking tobacco has become public enemy number one? Aren’t excise taxes great for generating revenue?

If you’ve been watching television as of late, you’ve probably seen the ads featuring smokers with the burden of a stoma or some other gruesome side effect. How dare they sully the good name of my dear friend simply because they had a bad experience? We’ve all had bad experiences, but I don’t see public service announcements about the negative aspects of dating.

I think tobacco companies should be allowed to advertise again. How is it fair that these organizations are able to broadcast anti-smoking ads for next to nothing while tobacco companies can’t even sponsor sports, music, or other cultural events? Let’s not even talk about advertising. With the persistent bashing received by anti-smoking ads, I think tobacco companies should be allowed to fight back. If money is speech, then shouldn’t they be allowed to spend their money in order to support their beliefs? Why do they have to lie down and take it?

Sure, the negative aspects are there, but look at how old those people in the commercials are! They’re older than Hell, and nowhere near kicking the bucket if they manage to keep their habit up. All that stimulation will keep them alive for years. Next thing we know, their age will be in the triple digits.

My feelings, simply put, are: if excise taxes can help the economy then we should be encouraging the habit, then worry about forcing others to quit doing something they enjoy later on. Get us at both ends, because it’s a better business plan. Now that’s a stimulus plan that I could get behind.

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