Is it an addiction or a habit?Tobacco has been around in this country since the 1700’s. Originally grown for pipes and snuff, demand changed to chewing tobacco and cigars. Later came the cigarette and a new market brought untold wealth to tobacco farmers. As a young adult, I used to live on a farm in Tennessee that raised tobacco and cattle. This was a heavenly place.
Everyone who ever smoked sort of remembers about when he started. Sixteen was the age for me and I thought it cool. We all did. At 17 and at a Mid-Shipmen’s Ball in New York City, I switched to Pall Mall (non-filtered) as I had run out of Marlboros and my date from Annapolis smoked these. This was even cooler than cool! This was my first step to the heavy stuff! I was addicted, or so I thought. A pack back then cost 25 cents.
Back in 1964 the first Surgeon general’s report was released which was the first of many reports linking smoking with cancer and health issues. Staying in denial was part of the fun. You knew you were smarter than the Surgeon General. Then one day it just dawned on me that what I was doing was totally crazy...smoking a pack a day. Why was I contributing to a pre-mature death? I guess I started thinking of my mortality. When you are very young, you don't. I quit immediately, just like that. It took 26 years to do it. This is why I know it is not an addiction. The only addiction is the one big lousy habit of smoking, not the tobacco, at least for me. Now it has become a very expensive one for those who haven’t kicked it.
Stats by State
Florida is considering raising the tax on a pack by $1.00 and manufacturers have already anticipated the price increase by raising a pack to $4.50 and a carton to $41. Why is the government doing this? Do you think that it is our health they are worried about?
They are taxing it to death because of lost revenue due to all those who have kicked the habit. Ouch!
Literally, the health industry and government will make the tobacco industry in this country non-existent…drive it right out of business. It will be as obsolete as 8-tracks and cost- exorbitant to export. And then the government will have to come up with some other plan to tax us to death.
