Tobacco 21 passes first vote in St. Louis County

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

If the government was serious about reducing smoking rates, patches/lozenges and the like would be heavily subsidized for perpetuity or provided for free indefinitely. Presumably there'd have to be a ban on marketing this kind of nicotine and the institution of strict price controls and so on but I think this would be more effective than making tobacco expensive or banning it outright.

As a note, I'd wager that Nicotine Replacement Therapy is only somewhat effective because those undertaking it are encouraged to quit nicotine altogether - which isn't easy and, frankly, isn't really desirable from a health standpoint - and, from this point forward, presuming that the NRT patient in question received a limited supply of free patches or gum, nicotine patches become about as expensive, even more expensive in some circumstances, as cigarettes or chewing tobacco. In this case, why would NRT work? Knowing that withdrawing from nicotine is a painful process that takes months to fully adjust to, whether tapered or going "cold turkey", it's little wonder that grown adults, with responsibilities and children, would avoid the process at all costs. Give them nicotine patches...

I'd suggest vaping being subsidized but that's sketchy from a health perspective and also...not behavior that should be promoted.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

How does not smoking result in a "bad life without black lungs"?

It'll lead to a harrowing few months for the person trying to quit. It takes more than a month for "nicotinic" receptors to normalize so those attempting to quit can expect to experience chronic fatigue for this period, sleep deprivation, feelings of depression etc. There's a reason why quitting is so difficult and why there's so much resistance to restrictions on tobacco: to put it simply, it's a nightmarish experience. Those who suggest otherwise are either lying to themselves to appear stoic or to feel better or they've never been addicted to nicotine. I think it's important to understand this because, otherwise, no one will ever understand why smoking rates are persistently high or why there's so much resistance to these proposals.

There's a reason why those diagnosed with cancer of the lung tend to continue smoking before they die, as my grandpa did...