Scare Tactics and Cigarette Labels

[classical_hero]

I don't smoke inside. Well...very rarely. Can't stand the smell of lingering smoke and also hate smoke in my eyes. I go outside to huff and puff.

I just had to show this after this comment.

Link to video.

As an asthmatic I would gladly be behind a move to ban smoking. Second hand smoke makes me sick and as a result any smoker in my eyes is worse than Hitler. Smoking is a mass murderer. They should run ads in Germany of Hitler smoking, like they did for the AIDS campaign.

 

[El_Machinae]

My thinking is more along the lines of fewer teens starting and more adults stopping. Sure, it's not a perfect cure all. But I think the costs in the long run have to be considered. For example, how many of the youth of a generation suffer asthma or diminished lung capacity do to exposure to smoke?

I know we want to 'reduce' smoking, but punishing addicts, creating new government income sources, creating a black market, etc. is not the way I want to do it. People know smoking is bad for them: so it's their own fault for starting. As long as we capture the externalities, and as long as we prevent Big Tobacco from deceiving people, then I'm happy. Remember, some people derive more benefit from smoking than you do. I'm not going to begrudge them that benefit, or force them to seek black market solutions to achieving it. As well, if my doctor is more cognitively sharp because of smoking, then I'm okay with that.

 

[Camikaze]

I guess the question is; are the externalities captured by current tax levels, or is a tax rise needed in order to do this?

 

[Imrahil91]

As an asthmatic I would gladly be behind a move to ban smoking. Second hand smoke makes me sick and as a result any smoker in my eyes is worse than Hitler. Smoking is a mass murderer. They should run ads in Germany of Hitler smoking, like they did for the AIDS campaign.

What do you think Hitler's real goal was?

 

[Cutlass]

I know we want to 'reduce' smoking, but punishing addicts, creating new government income sources, creating a black market, etc. is not the way I want to do it. People know smoking is bad for them: so it's their own fault for starting. As long as we capture the externalities, and as long as we prevent Big Tobacco from deceiving people, then I'm happy. Remember, some people derive more benefit from smoking than you do. I'm not going to begrudge them that benefit, or force them to seek black market solutions to achieving it. As well, if my doctor is more cognitively sharp because of smoking, then I'm okay with that.

Does it capture all the externalites? What about those harmed by proximity?

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, that's been mostly handled where I am. The smokers have been driven into hundling little bundles 30 feet from the entrance of the building. And, if ~$4 per pack isn't capturing the externalities, then we're in serious trouble.

 

[aronnax]

This is honestly the stupidest thing I have heard of to get people not to smoke.

I am not one to ever defend large corporations that are harmful to society, but forcing the company to print pictures of people who are ill from the effects of smoking just seems to be a wasted effort and unfair to the businesses who sell cigerrettes. Note I wouldnt side with them on anything else and no I do not smoke.

Smoking companies have received more scrutiny than other businesses that sell products that harm its user such as Alcohol or Fast Food.

It seems ridiculous to me that we are doing this to get people to not smoke but the people who start smoking already know of the dangers to begin with and probably have seen a heavy smoker. Young adults start smoking for a variety of reasons and they generally don't consider the health risks. I was a teenager too you know.

If we are going to go this route then maybe we should show pictures of morbidly obese people on fast food packages.

Welcome to the sunny Island of Singapore, please present your passport and travel documents and exchange your sense of hypocrisy, integrity and morality for economic thought.

Have a nice stay!

Spoiler :

Let me tell you that this doesn't work.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Strange to see an oriental woman with her tongue out which isn't pixellated.