no ciggarette nazis

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Straha

Banned
Today's AH scenario concerns a social history query. As I define them,
the 'cigarette nazis' are the ultra-health nuts who want to make
cigarettes extinct, for the smokers' own good (I have never been a smoker
myself). There were 2 social requirements.

1)unless one did have a GENUINE medical reason not to, one was always
obligated to allow guests to smoke in one's home

and

2)hostesses were required to keep a variety of fresh cigs on hand at home
to give to smoking guests who may run out.

Today, OTOH, neither of these notions is at all acceptable, and indeed
most smokers are not only made to feel like pariahs by the nonsmoking
majority, thoroughly aided by Big Government, but the smokers themselves,
at least the adult ones, feel themselves pariahs, and genuinely guilty,
every time they even think of lighting up. Thus they meekly acquiesce in
the numerous rules and regs against cigs.

Question thus is to do what it takes to design to design a scenario
whereby these trends may be REVERSED, AND cig smoking will once again
become widespread-acceptable in our society, even among those who would
never consider smoking themselves.
 
NHBL

NHBL

Part one needs no change

The first part is already part of today's social rules, as every non-smoker has a genuine medical reason to keep carcinogenic second hand smoke outside. This has been shown, at least to my satisfaction, by numeerous scientific studies.
 

basileus

Straha, my dad is a long-time smoker, and you surely have never heard a man cough THAT way...
All in all, I'm very surprised a REAL struggle against smoking has been put into essence, given the HUGE wealth and power of the tobacco companies.
Maybe there's still some room for extra-economy interests.
 

NapoleonXIV

Banned
Therapeutic Tobacco

A type of tobacco which is therapeutic to the lungs. This not quite as farfetched as it seems. One problen in most pulmonary disorders is the relative difficulty of delivery of the medicine to its site. Thus we see a plethora of special inhalers, disks, aspirators etc..

If indeed a type of pleasant tasting smoke which people would like to to inhale into their lungs could be developed, which was harmless itself and which could have medicine attached, it would be a real boon for sufferers from asthma and COPD.

Failing that, I don't see any way you could do it. I disagree strongly with the idea that second hand smoke is in any way a significant carcinogen but there is little question it can be very consequential to sufferers of asthma and COPD.
 

Straha

Banned
when genetic engineering becomes improved we'll see both therapeutic marijuana and tobacco...
 

Diamond

Banned
Its not the nicotine that kills you, its the heroin in the filters. :)

I quit smoking 11 months ago, and it was one of the hardest friggin things I've ever done. But, I'm saving on average, about $130 a month that was being spent on smokes. It just got too damn expensive to keep smoking.

What annoys me is how hypocritical some of the anti-smoking groups in the US, and particulary California are. They don't really want smoking outlawed, because then they would A)lose their soapbox & power base, and B)they'd lose all their buddies in gov't who depend on the $$$ from the asinine cigarette taxes. If groups like TheTruth.com, etc. were so set on getting rid of smoking completely, they'd push for cig Prohibition.
 

David Howery

I'm not hypocritical about it... I really and truly hate cigarettes and would love to have the whole tobacco industry come to a crashing halt. However, I realize full well that all the nicotine addicts out there aren't going to quit because I say so, and outlawing cigarettes would just lead to illegal use of them.. one more thing for the police to worry about. Therefore, if it was up to me, I'd just keep hiking the taxes up on them year after year, until everyone quits due to cost.....
 

Beck Reilly

With the advent of better medical techniques, this becomes impossible. Smoking could never become popular in the late 1900s as medical sources reveal what the cigarette manufacturers have known for decades: that smoking is BAD for you.
 

Straha

Banned
I say let people go to hell their own ways without taxes or age limits to hinder them. It removes them from the gene pool.
 

DuQuense

It would almost be impossible to reverse the Cig nazis they are to entrenced.
what you need is a POD where they never arise. After all the London Papers were full of Doctor's articles about "How unhealthy Tobacco was" starting within 5 years of Drakes return to England, with the first Shippment. Therefore it should be possible to POD a-- Ignoring the Surgeon Generals report. :D ;)
 

Amerigo Vespucci

Taking this on from a different angle, how about removing these 'cigarette nazis' by eliminating smoking alltogether? It's not really realistic even to me, but let's assume that Drake doesn't bring back tobacco from his trip. As a result, smoking never really catches on in Europe in general and England in particular. Colonists in the New World observe the natives smoking, but view it as a barbarous habit, on par with eating meat raw and running around in a loincloth. (At least, that's how they'd see it.) As a result of this, opium never catches on outside of China, the Opium wars don't happen, marijuana is rarely seen outside of South America and thus is not illegalized, and everyone lives happier, healthier lives.
 

David Howery

I'd happily let smokers kill themselves off if they didn't inconvenience me in the process. Ever go to a beach? cigarette butts everywhere. Ever go to a park? cigarette butts everywhere. I have to pay my stockboy $7.00 per hour to sweep up cigarette butts out in front of my store (I can't believe the inconsiderate asses dump their car ashtrays out on my parking lot). While I'm generally moderate and easygoing, I absolutely hate cigarettes and regard smokers as some of the filthiest creatures in existence. Sign me up with the cigarette nazis....
 

Ian the Admin

Administrator
Donor
If groups like TheTruth.com, etc. were so set on getting rid of smoking completely, they'd push for cig Prohibition.
Click to expand...

Um, I'm sure that a lot of these people noticed that alcohol prohibition didn't stop drinking and drug prohibition hasn't stopped drug use.

The anti-smoking cause is further on in Canada, but people don't seriously suggest prohibiting smoking. Given how addictive cigarettes are, I think most people are smart enough to realize this wouldn't work even if the votes could be had to pass it. It is more focused on discouraging kids from taking up smoking (there is a total ban on tobacco advertising, and the higher cigarette taxes have been shown to have a real impact on the smoking rates of minors), and on preventing places of public entertainment from being constantly filled with smoke (smoking is generally banned in restaurants and many places are banning it in bars).
 

Ian the Admin

Administrator
Donor
After all the London Papers were full of Doctor's articles about "How unhealthy Tobacco was" starting within 5 years of Drakes return to England, with the first Shippment
Click to expand...

Well I dunno about soon after the first shipment. But once the new world drugs and luxuries (tobacco, coffee, chocolate) became widespread in Europe, the general opinion of "medecine" was that they were all great for your health.
 

wkwillis

Health benefits of nonfreebased nicotine

Smoking is bad for you, it causes cancer and heart disease.
Nicotine is good for you in small doses, and is lethal in larger doses. Black flag insecticide is nicotine in a carrier. Of course it's an insecticide. Why did you think tobacco plants make it? So is caffeine. It's good for you because it makes you smarter and thinner. Nicorettes are a very good idea, or those patches. No cancer, no heart disease, and lose 5% of your body weight.
Smoking cigarettes is a very easy way to calibrate your dose and very convenient to carry around. That's why cigarettes expanded use of nicotine so much compared to cigars and pipes.
Now if we could just figure out a nicotine administration unit that would deliver nicotine in easily calibrated doses that discouraged overadministration and was convenient to carry around.
You get rich, you win the Nobel prize for medecine, and you bankrupt the Social Security trust fund because everybody lives ten years longer.
 
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