Smoking Guns Might Be Cheaper!

I used to be a smoker. Two packs a day. I could not afford to smoke today. I don’t see how anyone can. Even at $5 a pack for the cheapies, my bill would be over $300 a month. That’s enough to cover my cable, electric, gas, water, and newspaper bills.

Paradoxically, it is the poorer folk who have higher rates of smoking. They truly cannot afford to smoke yet do so in too high numbers. Education seems to help. Those with a higher education seem to smoke far less, even though they might better be able to afford it.

Beyond the cost are the very real health risks. I am not a rabid ex-smoker on a mission to eradicate the filthy weed from the earth. Mostly my only reaction to being near someone else’s smoke is to screw up my face into a pained expression. Sometimes I will cough, and sometimes it is for real.

Reports keep coming out on second-hand smoke and with each one, a more ominous fate for those forced to inhale noxious things. At first, it was only mildly detrimental to the non-smoker’s health. Today, the findings show it to be far worse.

All of this is reflected in the non-smoking policies and laws that are in greater abundance. Most mid to upscale hotels no longer allow smoking in any rooms. Government buildings are off limits, and some laws push the inveterate smokers away from the entrances so employees and visitors do not have to run the smoky gamut anymore.

The smell is bad enough; the health risks notwithstanding. Get near a smoker for any time at all, and your clothing is tainted for the day. No “I-can-wear-this-another-day” shirts after that.

I have seen, among reasonably sophisticated people who smoke, a respect for the non-smoker. Many smokers will not even smoke in their own houses, knowing that the stench lingers in the carpeting and upholstery. Most smokers will not ask if you mind if they smoke anymore, anticipating the answer. I cringe at my discourtesy to others when I smoked. I often did ask if I could smoke in people’s homes, even when I knew no one smoked in the house. They would scramble to find an ashtray or a jar lid I could use. Such rudeness on my part. I even smoked in the grocery aisles, not denying myself that hit of nicotine even for a few minutes. Today, such tactlessness is gone.

I quit smoking on April 15, 1982 and have NEVER gone back. I won’t even tempt myself with an “It’s a boy/girl!” cigar, or take a “hit” off of a friend’s cigarette. I quit cold turkey (I know, yay for me!) and I wish others would try it. But we are all different so if Nicorette or Chantix works, then I wouldn’t knock it. But anecdotally, I see those methods fail frequently.

I believe cigarettes’ days are numbered. Increasing taxes, higher prices, less social acceptance, and more restrictive laws will eventually lower the demand in the U.S. I think that would be a good thing. Anyone got a Twinkie?