• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Why are we not following the science on the leading cause of preventable death?

Desk trauma

The pickles are up to something
Site Supporter
Dec 1, 2011
22,363
18,319
✟1,449,762.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
Ahh, now we are narrowing the goal posts to only smoking around chemicals? That wasn't the discussion.

It’s only narrowing if you ignore part of both my posts. In both I mentioned drug testing and smoking in a refinery. If we’re done with that point of order back to the question you left unanswered: were drug tests for illegal drugs big brother like or only those for nicotine?
 
Upvote 0

renniks

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2008
10,682
3,449
✟156,970.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Unless you have evidence that cig smoking actually inhibits a persons ability to do thier job, I vote that only the nicotine was going too far.
 
Upvote 0

Gene2memE

Newbie
Oct 22, 2013
4,645
7,193
✟342,430.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Absolutely agree. And as others have posted. If the government and others can make money off it, who cares how many it kills.

The government does.

Taxing cigarettes is a behavioural disincentive. Australia has more than doubled taxes on smoking in the past decade, and spent more in running anti-smoking schemes and similar.

Net result - tax revenues from smoking have plummeted (falling steadily since 2016, down better than $2 billion in 2020), because household spending on cigarettes has fallen by more than 50%.

And tax revenue continues to fall - household spending on cigarettes is expected to drop by another $300 to $400 million for 2021.
 
Upvote 0

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
23,111
6,801
72
✟379,151.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
The situation for both seems rather similar to me. The same states that have successful covid measures have been doing all the Federal government will allow them to do to discourage smoking.

The same political groups that have resisted sound anti-covid measures are the ones resisting anti smoking measures.
 
Upvote 0

Always in His Presence

Jesus is the only Way
Site Supporter
Nov 15, 2006
49,787
17,943
Broken Arrow, OK
✟1,048,365.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Charismatic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
In what way does the government make money off of tobacco? If you're referring to taxes on it, I am pretty sure that whatever money they make via taxes is less than the amount of money they have to spend due to health problems caused by smoking.

The costs involved with the health problems doesn’t cost the government unless the person is on Medicare or Medicaid. The majority of the cost is paid for by individuals


That's not what I asked. Noted that you avoided answering what I actually asked.

Actually, I did indeed answer your question. Think about it. Look at your reasoning and substitute Covid for smoking and viola you sound exactly like an anti vaccination person.
 
Upvote 0

KCfromNC

Regular Member
Apr 18, 2007
30,256
17,181
✟545,630.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Plus, who pays more for insurance : smokers or non-smokers? There seems to be another obvious parallel from the OP's observation.
 
Upvote 0

KCfromNC

Regular Member
Apr 18, 2007
30,256
17,181
✟545,630.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
It's official. Big brother has to interfere with every aspect of people's lives.
If you think large corporations have too much power over normal citizens, feel free to lobby for additional government intervention on what the owners of the means of production can do.
 
Last edited:
Reactions: DaisyDay
Upvote 0

Desk trauma

The pickles are up to something
Site Supporter
Dec 1, 2011
22,363
18,319
✟1,449,762.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
Unless you have evidence that cig smoking actually inhibits a persons ability to do thier job, I vote that only the nicotine was going too far.
The majority of people fired for failed drug tests were not inhibited from doing their job by the trace amounts of drug in their systems, especially THC which lingers so long after intoxication has departed, that those test returned as they are set well below the threshold of impairment.
 
Upvote 0

ArmenianJohn

Politically Liberal Christian Fundamentalist
Jan 30, 2013
8,962
5,551
New Jersey (NYC Metro)
✟205,252.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Oriental Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
Actually, I did indeed answer your question. Think about it. Look at your reasoning and substitute Covid for smoking and viola you sound exactly like an anti vaccination person.
No, you did not. Think about it - you made a statement that does not relate to the actual question I asked and you based it on an assumption that I would substitute words for the words you actually used and cello I somehow "sound exactly like an anti vaccination person". I asked a question, I didn't make a statement, you are glossing that over.

Noted you still dodge the question. I don't blame you for not wanting to be cornered by your own words.
 
Upvote 0

98cwitr

Lord forgive me
Apr 20, 2006
20,020
3,474
Raleigh, NC
✟464,904.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution

Like smoking, or eating bacon, or any other choice a person makes...it's up to the individual to make those decisions for themselves; like injecting things into their bodies.
 
Upvote 0

renniks

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2008
10,682
3,449
✟156,970.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Having worked with smokers and potheads, I'll take the smokers.
No the pothead might not be wasted every day, but it happens.
The smoker needs his hit, but I've never seen where it inhibits thier work.
 
Upvote 0

Desk trauma

The pickles are up to something
Site Supporter
Dec 1, 2011
22,363
18,319
✟1,449,762.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
The smoker needs his hit, but I've never seen where it inhibits thier work.
I have.

Needing to stop and smoke, needing to rest while climbing the structure due to reduced lung capacity, having their career shortened/ended by the illnesses caused by long term smoking because they can no longer physically do their job.
 
Upvote 0

ArmenianJohn

Politically Liberal Christian Fundamentalist
Jan 30, 2013
8,962
5,551
New Jersey (NYC Metro)
✟205,252.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Oriental Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
Like smoking, or eating bacon, or any other choice a person makes...it's up to the individual to make those decisions for themselves; like injecting things into their bodies.
That's not true at all.
 
Upvote 0

98cwitr

Lord forgive me
Apr 20, 2006
20,020
3,474
Raleigh, NC
✟464,904.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
That's not true at all.

Sure it is, but it's also the individual choice to completely throw liberty in the trash too. Anyone is free enough to condemn their own freedom and rights, as well as hold to personal and individual convictions that others' rights and liberties should be tramped on as well.

Never before America (that I am aware of) was the concept of "inalienable rights" enshrined in lawful documents; albeit one could loosely go all the way back to 1215 to the magna carta to make a case, but it's a loose case at best.
 
Upvote 0

KCfromNC

Regular Member
Apr 18, 2007
30,256
17,181
✟545,630.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Like smoking, or eating bacon, or any other choice a person makes...it's up to the individual to make those decisions for themselves; like injecting things into their bodies.
Or employing people who make the choice to prolong a deadly pandemic.
 
Upvote 0

Arcangl86

Newbie
Dec 29, 2013
12,104
8,351
✟412,453.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Green
Eh. Depends on what you mean by enshrined in legal documents. The Declaration of Independence was a legal document in the sense that it was adopted by Congress, it had no actual effect on the law of the then 13 colonies. Even if you do count the Declaration, it was preceded by almost a hundred years by the English Bill of Rights which has the following section.


Quite a few of the rights listed in that document actually made it into the US bill of rights.
 
Upvote 0