Ban Cigarettes and Alcohol, page 1
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reply posted on 6-6-2007 @ 07:03 PM by Ste2652
As well as the tax issue, it's also political suicide. People would be up in arms if you took away their booze and fags!

No one would vote for you if you took such a step. You'd be clean out of office. And that's why it won't happen - governments want to stay in power. They'll go as far as they think they can get away with, but no further.

They're also handy little distractions. Let the masses keep drinking and smoking - it keeps them content whilst governments hide their mistakes.

There's also another issue about freedoms... does the government have a right to say what we can and can't drink? Is it the choice of the individual or the government whether they smoke?

I don't drink or smoke, but I take these habits in the same way I take religion: I'm not a religious person, but I respect the right of others to worship whatever religion they choose to (or choose not to, as the case may be). There are sensible limits, obviously, but the same applies to my view on drink/cigarettes.

Although I don't drink/smoke myself, I know a lot of people get pleasure from this and hence I don't think I'd support banning cigarettes and alcohol. I support public smoking bans (I don't smoke for a reason, so why force me to inhale other people's smoke? I have no intention of dying an agonising death like that ), I support raising the age to buy tobacco products to 18 and I support tougher penalties for those caught aiding minors getting hold of drink/cigarettes, but I wouldn't support them being banned outright. Once you get to 18, it should be your own business and not that of the government.

Besides, as Freedom ERP mentioned, how could it be enforced? We can't properly control illegal drugs being sold on our streets. How could we enforce cigarettes or alcohol bans since both of these are far more popular and therefore have a far greater sales potential on the black market than illegal drugs do. 'Alcohol dealers' and 'Tobacco dealers' will spring up all over the place. Just see how well prohibition went in the US, for example... lots of people tried to get around the laws with racketeering operations and secret imports from Canada and Mexico, for instance.


reply posted on 5-7-2007 @ 06:56 PM by UKTruthSeeker
I certainly opposed to the banning of alcohol, simply for the factor that it is fun to go out on a good booze up - everyone has done it and its a nice thing to do with mates, go down the pub and have a few pints, get a bit drunk and have a laugh ... theres no harm in it. However, I do agree that some people, after a bit too much "sauce" do get a bit out of hand. But, normal people who go out and have a good time with the aid of alcohol should not be punished by other peoples stupid actions.

Now to cigarettes. Again, I am opposed to the banning of these, as it takes away the freedom of the individual to do as they please - something which I am against. The current smoking legislation does suffice really, as smokers have been drawn outside - this is good as people are protected from the effects of second hand smoke and don't have to put up with the smell of cigarettes lingering on their clothes after a night out.

I must confess however, that i am rather biased as a drinker - not heavy but do enjoy the odd pint, and a smoker (trying to give up ). I will use the classic arguement ... think of the money the government get from the tax on alcohol and fags - if the revenue for this was lost due to the banning of them, taxes would be raised on other things; petrol, gas, electricity and maybe even ... air??? Lol the latter might be a bit too far into the future, but it could happen.

So in conclusion - keep alcohol and ciggies legal!!


reply posted on 6-7-2007 @ 02:35 AM by benevolent tyrant
From 1920 - 1933, alcohol was, indeed, banned in the United States. They called this period the "Prohibition". Well meaning folks, faced with what was considered to be an intolerable degree of public drunkenness and a moral scourge sought to "correct" this moral dilemma by making alcohol production, distribution and consumption illegal.

While the intent to make alcohol illegal may have been well-intentioned, Alcohol Prohibition was a failure. Alcohol consumption actually rose during this period and a new social scourge raised it's ugly head -- organized crime.

Criminal elements recognized the basic tenets of capitalism -- supply and demand. By eliminating legal, controlled distribution of alcohol, criminal elements were able to capitalize on the existing demand for a product -- a demand that was not eliminated by simple legislation.

The story of Prohibition can easily be extended to include cigarettes and, for that matter, marijuana and a whole host of illegal substances. And the result of Prohibition is not a lessened demand or consumption of the banned substance but the creation of an entire criminal class. By simply banning a substance does not preclude that the demand for that substance will disappear overnight or, for that matter, at all.

Prohibition simply does not work.

In Canada, when cigarette prices were raised to rather exorbitant levels ($8 -$10 a pack), cigarette smuggling became a major political and economic issue. And while statistics seemed to show that cigarette consumption had decreased dramatically, there was no real way to gauge the actual numbers of smokers who had simply gone into the underground economy to purchase their packs of smokes. Again, Prohibition (albeit an economic one) did not work.

Alcohol, tobacco and, for arguments sake, illicit drugs are social issues. As social issues, they should be dealt with through education and treatment. But by making these, or any, substances illegal, all we have done is to compound things by creating a whole host of new problems.


reply posted on 14-10-2008 @ 11:18 PM by TheHypnoToad
Don't forget sex!

If sex were illegal, just think how great it would be! Less population means an increase in the amount of resources apportioned among everyone already in existence. Plus no government would have to pay for children whose parents could not afford them.

The abortion issue would be non-existent, and healthcare costs would go down as it would no longer be necessary to pay for birth control, prenatal care, premature babies, sick children, sexually transmitted diseases or the occasional sprained penis.

In fact, if so much of our lives didn't revolve around the repurcussions of reproduction, we'd all have more money. We could eat in quiet restaurants and fly in quiet airplanes, all of which would be child-free. Nobody would have to drive those dreadful minivans...

If we didn't spend so much time thinking about having sex, we could accomplish all sorts of things! Women would feel that bikini waxes weren't so important and men would stop having to guess what size lingerie to give as gifts.


You're absolutely right! Anytime something has negative side effects or repurcussions we should just ban it completely. I know that my sarcastic rant about criminalizing sex is ridiculous, but I hope I have made my point.

I don't smoke, but if cigarettes were illegal, I might want to start. And if alcohol and sex were also illegal, my afternoon might go like this:
1) get drunk off of illegal booze, 2) have illegal sex, 3) smoke illegal cigarette while basking in illegal afterglow.


reply posted on 14-10-2008 @ 11:54 PM by trilateral_insignia
reply to post by chissler


Starred mate!

Why would you want to ban substances that have helped people cope with existence ? I mean, people get drunk and have fun, while others get drunk, drive and hurt/kill someone. Those are 2 different people. If anything they should legalize drugs (EXCEPT HEROIN AND COCAINE) as these 2 are the most addictive drugs, nevermind tobacco. When I smoked my first cigarette, I didn't have a craving for more (unlinke cocaine). When I first smoked a cigarette I got a nicotene rush (aka head spinner) and felt kinda weird, I wated at least an hour before attempting to smoke another.

"Cocaine is a helluva drug" - Rick James, and this is true. Just ONE "line" of cocaine is enough to make you NEED more. Once that 5 minute high wears off you need to get more because you are feeling normal again. Cocaine is the product of Satanic forces (not literally, maybe literally ^_-). I have never tried Heroin but I have been told from numerous good friends that it IS THE WORST DRUG EVER.

As for smoking, well I smoke. I don't fear that one day I'll have cancer, ye know why ?? Mind over matter. I believe that by believing I am fine, my brain will release chemicals,etc to keep me healthy. I starve myself quite often too as its supposed to be good for you (yeah seems paradoxical lol).

Ok so I once had a weird "heart attack" type event which I have still been unable to explain. Like someone was sitting on my chest with a sharp object digging into my diaphragm so that whenever I breathed there was a deep pain through my shoulder, chest and throat. I felt good afterwards, I felt ALIVE.

So if I need to trade a few years of my life in order to smoke then so be it, great healthy people die young, you could die tomorrow.


And anyway, they could never make Tobacco or Alcohol illegal, too many people use them for everyday living. Drunks get drunk daily. Doctors may get drunk when not working (to help them relax/get sh*tfaced :p), teachers, lawyers scientists politicians protestors policemen firemen emergency service workers (lol ambulance crew,etc), may use alcohol, not all of them but most.


Oh and making sex illegal could never work, ITS HOW WE REPRODUCE LOL!!!

And it's incredibly fun.

It seems that the ATS guys should make a Sex Ed (What is Sex) show for some people on here.

I do see your point though HypnoToad, too many people having kids they cannot afford to care for or punish them.

Just yesterday in the Daily Mail there was a family with 10 freakin kids and the husband and wife were both on benefits!!!!! Neither parent has worked in 15 years or more. The father has angina which I can understand is a reason not to work (or do less stressful work), but the mother ?? She just seems lazy! My mum didn't work while she raised me and my brothers (RIP WM) but my father made more than enough for us to live on (apparently he had so much money he got my mum to put on weight lol) and as soon as she was able (when my bro became an adult at 16) went out and got a job.

If anything there should be a massive overhaul of everythin on this planet.

I better end this here before I forget what the topic is.

oh and Its 5:53 AM here and I'm about to smoke something other than tobacco, am I bad ? No, it helps me be creative and sympathetic towards others.
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