Smoking Ban Moves Outdoors (CA)

LA Times ^ | March 18, 2006 | Bob Pool

[mugs99]

More real criminals need to be in jail

I agree. We have too many drug offenders taking up the space that should be used for killers and rapists. The majority of our prisoners are incarcerated for victimless drug crimes.
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[Gabz]

Other than equating consumers of nicotine (which I am sure you do consume on a fairly regular basis) to heroin addicts, I have to agree with your premise regarding items added to the CSA.

For tobacco to be added to the CSA, though, I do believe they will have to come up with another justification than nicotine....because of how many other plants, including fruits and vegetables contain nicotine. A botanist friend once explained that properly cured and dried, the leaves of such plants as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and even potatoes wuold cntain roughly the same amount of nicotine as similarly cured/dried tobacco leaves.

[Mears]

"I think that this whole angle is the way that folks seek to ban cigs alltogether."

---

The don't WANT to ban cigs altogether because they need the money.

An astonishing amount of money goes to cities and states because of the taxes smokers pay. That's why Pataki and Bloomberg are all bent out of shape when people try to buy cigs on-line.

They want you to buy the product because of the revenue raised and then they tell you that it is a "killer" product. The hypocrisy of the entire thing is astounding.

[BlueStateDepression]

Illinois has began sending tax bills to folks that did purchase online cigs.

A funny little snipit for ya. Blago got an increase passed per pack a couple years ago. The premise was to deterr the kids from smoking. (BARF)

He went after another increase last year, this time claiming it was to fill holes in the budget.( They eventually decided to raid the State pension funds instead)

Isn't it funny how the tune changes over a period of time?

The fact they get alot of revenue from smokers is indeed one direction that will backfire on these folks that think this is a good idea.

I can see having non smoking places. I can equally see having smoking places. That should be for individual businesses to decide for themselves.

Do not fool yourself friend, the most powerful lobby group that exists is behind this and they hold more power than the legislators themselves.....its called the INSURANCE Industry.

[Osage Orange]

Went out of the hotel and ran into an elvis impersonator juggling knives. Another time was eating in a reasturant in a business district and this dude walks down the sidewalk in a caveman diaper with a bone in his scraggly beard.

ROFLOL!!

Where were you??!!

[Mears]

"Do not fool yourself friend, the most powerful lobby group that exists is behind this and they hold more power than the legislators themselves.....its called the INSURANCE Industry."

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And the pharmaceutical industry. Nicorette,Nicotrol etc.

[Osage Orange]

I've lived here most of my life and have **never** seen what you've described. Ever.

We used to have a red-headed bearded guy wandering Riverside, CA...wearing a dress, with a cooking pot on his head...Saw him many, many times....

Then there was the time, I watched this tall lanky dude...stride butt-naked cross the street. Right down-town, in a crosswalk with the "green" light.

Then another time I had this lady? sit down at my table in this small Sandwich Place...and start eating my french fries, and drank my drink. LOL!! She did ask me if I was done...at about the same second she whoofed down my fries....

FWIW-

[BlueStateDepression]

I would agree about alternative ways to market nicotine, IF those were actually designed to have people stop their nicotine intake they would be far cheaper than they are.

IMHO they are doing the same thing cig companies are doing....providing a means for an intake of nicotine in order to make a profit.

[Osage Orange]

Lovely. In the same place the fine for possession of less than 28.5 grams of pot is $100. Priorities?

I wonder what the fine is for lighting up a doobie?

[Mears]

I know a gal who quite smoking but has been chewing nicotine gum for 10 years,and it isn't cheap.

Lots of money being made by the drug companies.

[Osage Orange]

And second-hand government intrusiveness has been proven to kill.

Amen brother...

Amen..!!

[BlueStateDepression]

I would be willing to bet that there are alot of folks in that same situation.

[festus]

The bone guy san jose. The knife guy san diego. See #26.

[Bogey]

Tobacco smokers will be locked up alongside pot smokers.
Then you better be quite prepared to pick up the slack billions in tax revenue generated by smokers.

Are you ready for that?

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Don't think the anti's want us quitting either.
Sad to say, voters will support this.
I wonder at what point Florida politicians get sick of these people.

SESSION NOTES: Tobacco fund vote gets OK
The Times-Union


Florida's highest court on Thursday cleared a constitutional amendment for voters in November that could dramatically increase how much the state spends to keep kids away from tobacco.


The seven-member Supreme Court unanimously allowed an amendment that, if approved, would force legislators to devote 15 percent of Florida's 1997 tobacco settlement fund, or about $56 million annually, to anti-tobacco efforts. The court was reviewing the amendment's language, title, summary and financial impact statement, which will go on the ballot.

The amendment is an attempt to reverse a consistent slide in the amount of money the Legislature has appropriated for anti-tobacco programs. In recent years, legislators have spent $1 million a year on the programs -- an average of 26 cents for each of the state's 3.7 million residents younger than 18.

[R.W.Ratikal]

Is the ban also to apply on smoking marijuana?

[383rr]

"You will be able to balance your grandson on your knee and tell him about when you, personally, saw America go from a free country to a police state."

Un-fortunately, I can almost tell my kids that now. It is becoming rather scary. I fear for my children's future. What kind of country will they know? I think we'll have to do something about it pretty directly, IMHO.

[ElkGroveDan]

Well you've already heard form Californians here that those were exceedingly bizarre for us too. So it's ridiculous for you to make an assertion as you did above, that these are somehow typical of life in California

[383rr]

"How stupid does the public have to be before these politicians have full reign in controlling our lives a reaping financially in a personal way because of it?"

I think most of the public is already at that level of stupidity. Another thing is that a lot of people are very apathetic. They think these things will never affect them.
Fools, fools, fools.

[EGPWS]

They think these things will never affect them.

Until it does affect them when it too late.