Curbing the Tobacco Epidemic in the Americas

Monday, January 30th 2017 - 19:38 UTC

Full article 2 comments

By Carissa F. Etienne (*) Though the devastating health effects of tobacco use are well known, tobacco’s negative repercussions extend well beyond the obvious health outcomes. Read full article

Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

Bisley
It is not a legitimate function of government to attempt to protect people from the consequences of their own choices, or restrict their choices. The supposed financial benefits of such actions are a lie and a fraud -- people dying at an earlier age actually cost less due to the pensions and extensive health care they would have consumed in old age more than offsetting the cost of their earlier end of life care (which would eventually come anyway).

The only beneficiary of this policy is government, which gains more power over people's lives, and more of their money -- they already have taken too much of both.
Jan 31st, 2017 - 05:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
-+
DemonTree
Would you like to show some evidence for this unusual claim, Bisley? Every study I have seen says just the opposite; that tobacco use has considerable costs to society, since it causes ill health and chronic disease at an age when people would otherwise still be productive.

Nor do taxes prevent people smoking if they choose, they just provide an incentive for people to cut down.
Jan 31st, 2017 - 07:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
-+

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!