The cigarette conspiracy

I hope I am not the only person that has noticed a great conspiracy happening right in front of our faces. April 1, 2009, the U.S. raised the tax on cigarettes 61 cents, the highest single tax raise in tobacco history (Story Here). One month later, President Obama signs historical legislature giving the FDA control over the tobacco industry (Story Here).

The new legislature gives the FDA control over the amount of nicotine that goes into each cigarette, amongst many other things. The government and FDA claim this is to save lives. The only catch is, nicotine isn't the dangerous property of a cigarette. Sure it raises your blood pressure temporarily and if far too much is consumed, can cause nicotine poisoning but for the most part it is merely the addictive property of a cigarette. Tar, and other chemicals in cigarettes are the real danger. As any smoker should know, you smoke to get a buzz, you do it for the feeling of relief. By reducing the amount of nicotine in a cigarette, a smoker will smoke more and more cigarettes to get that same feeling, in turn purchase more cigarettes and make the government more money. All while the government is, in reality, killing more smokers with this method.

It is the equivalent of the government taxing the heck out of food and then taking out a good amount of nutritional properties, therefor making a person increase their consumption. Or like the government taxing gasoline and then lowering the effectiveness of it to where your car only gets half the milage from a gallon of it.

I don't want this to be a discussion of smoking bans or whether smoking is good for you or not (obviously it's not), I simply want people to see the conspiracy that lies in front of us. Does anyone else find it interesting that the government taxes something and then reduces attractive benefit of it?

[edit on 7/12/2009 by leisuredrummer]

When I first heard about this, I thought it could mean only two things. Either the government stupid (beyond there usual levels), or there is something behind it all.

This is actually a little of both. More craziness with a hidden agenda.

270 million smokers in the U.S. (1998)

1.3 billion smokers in China (1998)

So lets say there are roughly 300 million smokers in the U.S. today, and a pack of cigarettes costs on average $6.00 ($9.75 where I live)

Current tax rate is $3.00 per pack

Lets say the average american smoker buys a pack every 3 days.

Thats $1.8 billion every 3 days, about $216 billion each year, half of which is government.


So $108 billion is government money, and that was using old statistics and being lenient.

reply to post by Wolf321


Your right, a hidden agenda is a good way to put it. It is all about money and power with the government. They tried to keep the tax increase and the lowering of nicotine far away from each other.

reply to post by raj9721


Exactly, it a HUGE momey making scheme. And your even lowballing it, I assume the average smoker buys more than a pack every three days. Now, with the lowering of the effects of smoking (without lowering the dangers of it), smokers will only be buying more to get their fix.

Kind of funny that as the number of smokers decreases the tax goes up eh?

No coincidences in this one, don't know if i'd label it conspiracy though it's just too blatant lol

I'm a smoker and I never thought of this really. But this makes total sense, its so obvious this is just some huge scheme. And I didn't know about this FDA thing til just now. God will the governments of our world ever not be corrupt? (thats a stupid question) lol.

I think this is already in effect because I've noticed I smoke about 5-10 more ciggerettes a day now. I used to smoke half a pack now I find myself almost finishing one every day. I never thought it could be because they lowered the nicotine. This is so obviously a scam! Such BS. Why not keep the nicotine and tabacco and take out all the other 100s of harsh chemicals that aren't needed? Well of course they'll never do that because people would buy less smokes.


[edit on 12-7-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

[edit on 12-7-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

The nicotine isn't harmful, its the additives and preservatives, so lowering the nicotine won't do any good.

Getting rid of all the nicotine is the only way to justify a campaign to end smoking.

Can we sue them? Or lobby against this...?

The nicotine is only the addictive property of the cigarette. If they really wanted to save lives they would reduce the amount of tar and additives to cigarettes. Or to go to the extreme, they could even raise the amount of nicotine in each cigarette in order to get smokers to smoke less.

I'm not sure what to do about it raj9721. I think it's too deep now.

Maybe there is another conspiracy involved the mass distribution of mind altering drugs to the public where the victim might think they find a saving grace after the price rise.
To further be able to control them through mind control. One such drug known as champix. Many of the side effects seem similar to many of pfizers(the company who marketed their drug) other mind altering drugs and contraceptives.
www.thehealthierlife.co.uk...
64 people worldwide have already died from this drug but yet its being marketed furiously to smokers. Smokers unaware that when they get off thier smoking addiciton they will have a new addiction associated with champix and depressiion drugs prescribed as a result of the side effects of champix. Hmm makes you wonder there is money to be made there.
When people cant pay for cigarettes no doubt many will turn to champix in a bid to find some thing to help them quit from not having enough money to pay for their addiction.




[edit on 12-7-2009 by Applesandoranges]

reply to post by leisuredrummer


less nicotine means less addiction, means easier to quit, means less smokers, hopefully. So that's the link.

But maybe there is a conspiracy. Who knows.


If you're looking for a conspiracy, here's a possible one.

Demand for cigarettes is inelastic, on account of smokers are addicts (like me). This means that an increase in price typically returns a higher overall revenue. In other words, if you increase the price of an inelastic product, you only sell a few less, and make more money overall.

So increasing tax on cigarettes should make the Govt. more revenue from taxes.

And... you could argue that reducing nicotine will just make smokers buy more cigarettes, at the higher tax rate.

So you COULD argue that the whole thing is just a big money-making racket for the Government.

Originally posted by raj9721
270 million smokers in the U.S. (1998)

1.3 billion smokers in China (1998)

So lets say there are roughly 300 million smokers in the U.S. today, and a pack of cigarettes costs on average $6.00 ($9.75 where I live)

Current tax rate is $3.00 per pack

Lets say the average american smoker buys a pack every 3 days.

Thats $1.8 billion every 3 days, about $216 billion each year, half of which is government.


So $108 billion is government money, and that was using old statistics and being lenient.

er... what? 270m smokers in USA?? 1.3bn in China??? R U sure?

Besides the feds tax my state imposed their own on top of that.AND not to be outdone at the same time my tobacco co.(gambler)raised their prices on the premise that many customers wont be able to afford their product now!I guess only the rich have the privilige of smoking...

Maybe the conspiracy is that cigarettes are even around! It should be a conspiracy these companies slowly killing you are even around.

its not the tobaco, its what they put in the tobaco whats killing you ,

then again if you think about lung cancer and how its concived , most of you will stop breathing air all together since lungcancer comes from breathing.


being alive means you will die at some point of life ,
denying that fact means your delutional.

No matter, *puff* people will still smoke cigarettes *exhale*, continue with the plan.

reply to post by raj9721


There are only 300 million PEOPLE in the U.S.

To the op, thank you for bringing this to my attention. VERY interesting.

Originally posted by eniac
reply to post by leisuredrummer

 

less nicotine means less addiction, means easier to quit, means less smokers, hopefully. So that's the link.

But maybe there is a conspiracy. Who knows.


If you're looking for a conspiracy, here's a possible one.

Demand for cigarettes is inelastic, on account of smokers are addicts (like me). This means that an increase in price typically returns a higher overall revenue. In other words, if you increase the price of an inelastic product, you only sell a few less, and make more money overall.

So increasing tax on cigarettes should make the Govt. more revenue from taxes.

And... you could argue that reducing nicotine will just make smokers buy more cigarettes, at the higher tax rate.

So you COULD argue that the whole thing is just a big money-making racket for the Government.

I'm a smoker and I've tried to quit a few times. I think taking the nicotine out will give smokers trying to quit a better chance. Like u say it's the nicotine that hooks you......The tax rises won't matter if you've quit!!!!

Taxing a highly addictive drug is a great way to collect revenues for both state and federal government.

If you can regulate the nicotine levels in the products you have the ability to make it even more addictive.

They really do not want people to quit smoking, in fact they could become increasingly dependant on the revenues generated from tobacco sales.

Some day you could actually see news of federal agents and SWAT teams surrounding homes, raiding them, making arrests, and even killing people for growing their own tobacco, making cigarettes etc and sharing them with others.

If you've seen how they deal with illicit drugs, which they make NO revenue from, imagine what they will do with people who produce a legal but federally regulated and taxed product at home!

Tobacco, the new drug war!

Civilians verses the states and federal governments.

[edit on 12-7-2009 by Walkswithfish]