[manc]

more laws, great. Will you call for a ban on homosexuality, smoking dope, drinking alcohol, and gambling as they all can give us the bill too, or is it a case you don't smoke and want laws to fit what you don't like?

[kearnyirish2]

I smoke, and certainly wouldn’t have started at 20. To me banning cigarettes is like banning turpentine in kids’ soft drinks. I have no problem with the alcohol & gambling age at 21; smoking can be the same. Pot should be treated in the same manner as cocaine, heroin, etc..

[Sooth2222]

"more laws, great. Will you call for a ban on homosexuality, smoking dope, drinking alcohol, and gambling as they all can give us the bill too, or is it a case you don't smoke and want laws to fit what you don't like?"

The economic impact of smoking is debatable, too. Smokers pay taxes on their cigarettes, and they tend to collect less in pension and Social Security retirement benefits and require Medicare for a longer time than nonsmokers. (=>"Fewer Smokers Means Higher Taxpayer Costs, Study Finds")

As with other vices like gambling and alcohol that are highly taxed, cigarette taxes are a regressive tax. (Not that there is anything wrong with that!)