Novel way to curb Smoking Public Health Cost

Ah, OK. Most broadcast news here would use it without a second thought.

 

Under the American concept of "freedom", I just don't see that happening here. At least not in my lifetime. Especially with the ever-expanding movements to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana and potentially some other (but definitely not all) recreational drugs.

Our current smoking restrictions are now quite successful at keeping most(*) non-consenting people from having to involuntarily suffer toxic second-hand smoke. Smokers buying health coverage on the individual marketplace must pay a surcharge. I believe most smokers getting health coverage through employment, now also pay a surcharge. As long as these surcharges are sufficient and consistent with their higher medical costs, there isn't much for us non-smokers to complain about. Especially since smokers are helping subsidize the pensions and Social Security benefits of non-smokers.

In one of the European countries I traveled, they still had cigarette vending machines, but buyers had to swipe their national health ID card as part of the purchase transaction. This would serve as proof of age, and also link to surcharges.

(*) There are still some non-consenting people/entities not adequately protected from second-hand smoke: minor children whose parents smoke at home, and fetuses of pregnant smokers.

 

I don't know - you ban stuff that the rest of the world doesn't: jay walking, Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs, topless sunbathing, etc. I think it's more that the concept of "freedom" is rather selective.

Right. That makes sense. For us, with a single-payer system, smokers pay for their use of the healthcare system through very high taxes on cigarettes.

A couple of months ago, I was shocked to see a driver smoking in her car with a toddler in the back. I thought I hadn't seen anything like that in a very long time. Coincidentally, the "is it legal?" series in one of our local car forums carried something about smoking a couple of days later, and it turns out it is illegal in our state to smoke in a car if there's a child in the car. Even if it hadn't been, though.... What sort of person does that?

 

There is no federal ban on these two items, and state and local laws vary widely.

In my area, jaywalking laws are meant only for high traffic areas with traffic control signals, where walkers crossing against the DON'T WALK signals when cars have right-of-way, or mid-block, cause increased congestion and injuries. Absent interfering with vehicle traffic, it isn't a violation. (Unless your hair was too long in the old days, or skin too dark until recently, but with today's de-policing, enforcement of most laws has nearly ceased.) In low traffic non-signaled suburban residential areas such as where I live, I'm not sure that jaywalking was ever a violation.

Topless sunbathing? That also varies considerably by jurisdiction. Designated or tolerated beaches keep increasing. Back in my old state, machine car washes tried to shut down a competing topless hand carwash, only to discover that even in that conservative deep red state, there was no state law or even city ordinance against female toplessness in public. The city declined to pass such an ordinance. Numerous young women insisted on keeping their legal right to go just as topless as men, even when they didn't want to draw attention from unwanted voyeurs by actually doing so.

If you want to see plenty of public toplessness and bottomlessness, come to Seattle's Fremont Solstice Parade, great family fun, traditionally preceded by a huge group of naked and half-naked bicycle riders. The bottomless part technically illegal only if someone files a complaint with the police department, but the very few times that has happened, they have managed to remain strategically hearing impaired. Clothing enforcement doesn't start until as late after the subsequent street fair as police can manage.

But if you choose to join the ride, please be creative with body paint. The few going paint-free just don't fit the theme.

Photos: Naked bike riders return to 2022 Fremont Solstice Parade
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/fremont-solstice-parade
Fremont Solstice Parade 2022 | Flickr

Our high tobacco taxes are generally spent on anything but.

Here, that remains perfectly legal, and distressingly common. The CDC figures that over 7% of pregnant women here still smoke. At least that is down from over 10% not so long ago.

 

I'm reminded of a Florida law meant to keep minors out of strip clubs by banning an entrance fee. So the strip clubs suspended entrance fees for minors and made money from the $5 soda pop sales and $3 salted peanuts.

Bob Wilson

 

I did find it odd that the forum censored the F one, but for a different reason. Honestly, I don't find it sweary. Even less so when rendered in LOL form. So the replacement used is read the same by me.

 

I am more amused by the spelling autocorrect misdirections.

Bob Wilson

 

At least their tax cutting party wants to actually fund the tax cuts. Taxing a portion of the population with a health issue isn't great, but it is better than wishful thinking funding a cut.

 

If NZ funds their Social Security equivalent programme like we do here in the US, it would probably be cheaper letting them smoke.

Funny how nobody considers this when 'legalizing' jazz cabbage comes up......

 

Huh. I guess it's been a while since I read that 4,700 word ToS.

I didn't spot any place it really says much about W T F or W T H or the various other locutions it likes to change to other ones, except for maybe the vague bits mentioning "... vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, ...".

Did notice the ToS still wants me to hold harmless the developers of vBulletin ... even though the forum has been running on XenForo for years now.