[Alberta1]

OK, since you soon won't be able to buy smokes in any store that sells drugs (meaning virtually nowhere) why doesn't the government sell them in liquor stores? That way they have complete monopoly and control over all legal substances. At the same time they could throw in some VLT and lottery terminals. Talk about mafiosa.

[Tominalberta]

Ya, I don't really understand that anyways. Why can a bar with offsales sell smokes, but not a liquer store?

[DrCaleb]

Dude, Bob Layton thought of that 6 months ago. And I do think its a good idea; both that a place you go to take care of your health should not sell smokes, and that liquor stores should.

It would help kids not to start the habit.

[Choban]

1 in 3 cigarettes sold in Canada are contraband anyways, so I don't think this is the problem or the solution.

[BartSimpson]

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

[Choban]

BartSimpson wrote:

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

Yah, funny isn't it. You hear about people suing big tobacco companies for their medical bills and such, has anyone ever tried to sue the government for allowing us to smoke in the first place?

[Choban]

DrCaleb wrote:

Dude, Bob Layton thought of that 6 months ago. And I do think its a good idea; both that a place you go to take care of your health should not sell smokes, and that liquor stores should.

It would help kids not to start the habit.

I don't think kids start because they see smokes in the store. Personally I started becaus my friends did, they did because their older siblings did who started because their parents did who started because in the 50's 60's and 70's it was "posh" to smoke!!!

Besides, there will always be that Arabian store owner who sells single smokes to underaged kids at 3 times the price because when he gets caught he can afford to pay the fines.

Education is they key and it works more and more with each generation, my parents grew up thinking it was a harmless thing that socially consience adults did, I came up with a bit of education on the hazzards of smoking (admittedly not enough to deter me).

My 8 year old son knew when he was 3 that smoking causes cancer and he has sworn to me he will never smoke, he sees anti smoking ads depicting cancer patients all over the place, he has seen actual lungs from smokers and non smokers, both on TV and even held one at the body worlds exhibit. He is informed on what will happen to him if he smokes, and that is why he made the choice. Weather he sticks to it remains to be seen, I know I was his age when I first tried a smoke.

[Tominalberta]

Umm.... Allowing us to smoke???

Since when has it been the governments job to tell us what we can and can't do? I don't know what kind of dictatorship fantasy goverment you want, but this is Canada. The government has done its job, by mandating the warnings on the packs and the campaign they have put on over the past couple of years.

Maybe next the government can tell us what to eat...

my opinion of what a federal government should be is this;
-provide a military and defense
-provide a judicial system
-provide police forces
-regulate import and export
-regulate interprovincial affairs
-be the face of Canada to engage in foreign affairs

Thats about it, but I know I will never see the government shrink to that.

Choban wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

Yah, funny isn't it. You hear about people suing big tobacco companies for their medical bills and such, has anyone ever tried to sue the government for allowing us to smoke in the first place?

[Alberta1]

Tominalberta wrote:

Umm.... Allowing us to smoke???

Since when has it been the governments job to tell us what we can and can't do? I don't know what kind of dictatorship fantasy goverment you want, but this is Canada. The government has done its job, by mandating the warnings on the packs and the campaign they have put on over the past couple of years.

Maybe next the government can tell us what to eat...

my opinion of what a federal government should be is this;
-provide a military and defense
-provide a judicial system
-provide police forces
-regulate import and export
-regulate interprovincial affairs
-be the face of Canada to engage in foreign affairs

Thats about it, but I know I will never see the government shrink to that.

Choban wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

Yah, funny isn't it. You hear about people suing big tobacco companies for their medical bills and such, has anyone ever tried to sue the government for allowing us to smoke in the first place?

Pretty much agree with Tom.

[BAT119]

smoking is a another way of cleaning the gene pool only stupid people do it.

[Gunnair]

Alberta1 wrote:

OK, since you soon won't be able to buy smokes in any store that sells drugs (meaning virtually nowhere) why doesn't the government sell them in liquor stores? That way they have complete monopoly and control over all legal substances. At the same time they could throw in some VLT and lottery terminals. Talk about mafiosa.

Doesn't work outside of ALberta or Quebec unless they lower the drinking age.

[Gunnair]

Choban wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

Yah, funny isn't it. You hear about people suing big tobacco companies for their medical bills and such, has anyone ever tried to sue the government for allowing us to smoke in the first place?

Lotta people are killed by fatty foods, alcohal, and driving. I'm thinking we're regulated enough in our lives, eh?

[Axeman]

Choban wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Why not ban cigarettes? Oh, that's right, the government craves the tax revenue too much.

Yah, funny isn't it. You hear about people suing big tobacco companies for their medical bills and such, has anyone ever tried to sue the government for allowing us to smoke in the first place?

That's a funny comment, but we don't REALLY want a government that has that kind of power, do we? We spend most of the day bitching about government. We don't really want it to be our "daddy". This ain't Cuba, afterall.

[Axeman]

Choban wrote:

DrCaleb wrote:

Dude, Bob Layton thought of that 6 months ago. And I do think its a good idea; both that a place you go to take care of your health should not sell smokes, and that liquor stores should.

It would help kids not to start the habit.

I don't think kids start because they see smokes in the store. Personally I started becaus my friends did, they did because their older siblings did who started because their parents did who started because in the 50's 60's and 70's it was "posh" to smoke!!!

Besides, there will always be that Arabian store owner who sells single smokes to underaged kids at 3 times the price because when he gets caught he can afford to pay the fines.

Education is they key and it works more and more with each generation, my parents grew up thinking it was a harmless thing that socially consience adults did, I came up with a bit of education on the hazzards of smoking (admittedly not enough to deter me).

My 8 year old son knew when he was 3 that smoking causes cancer and he has sworn to me he will never smoke, he sees anti smoking ads depicting cancer patients all over the place, he has seen actual lungs from smokers and non smokers, both on TV and even held one at the body worlds exhibit. He is informed on what will happen to him if he smokes, and that is why he made the choice. Weather he sticks to it remains to be seen, I know I was his age when I first tried a smoke.

No, I disagree. Education is not the key. The reason I disagree is that teenagers are assholes. PERIOD. That's the defining characteristic of a teenager. You know how you can tell when a teenager is lying? Its lips are moving. Teenagers are too dumb to know it's bad for them, even when they KNOW. They're too dumb to know that driving around like a retard will get them into accidents. They're too dumb to know most things. So, the only way to prevent kids from starting to smoke is to make cigarettes unavailable to them.

[thirteen31]

Axeman wrote:

No, I disagree. Education is not the key. The reason I disagree is that teenagers are assholes. PERIOD. That's the defining characteristic of a teenager. You know how you can tell when a teenager is lying? Its lips are moving. Teenagers are too dumb to know it's bad for them, even when they KNOW. They're too dumb to know that driving around like a retard will get them into accidents. They're too dumb to know most things. So, the only way to prevent kids from starting to smoke is to make cigarettes unavailable to them.

I disagree with you. Education is the key and teenagers are not assholes. Teenagers take risks because they're exercising their independence, but stupid - no. We learn from our mistakes and it's our job to inform the next generation what we found through our own trials. Smoking kills and we should be promoting that to our children. If you sent your teenager out 'to explore their world' without giving them any guidance, they'd be fighting blind. I'm not disagreeing with making cigarettes unavailable to them - but it's only one facet of prevention and education is the other.