Path: utzoo!utgpu!tmsoft!spectrix!clewis
From: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris R. Lewis)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: tobacco advertising ban
Message-ID: <411@spectrix.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jan 88 21:17:31 GMT
References: <5929@utcsri.UUCP>
Reply-To: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris R. Lewis)
Distribution: can
Organization: Spectrix Microsystems Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 40

In article <5929@utcsri.UUCP> pkern@utcsri.UUCP (pkern) writes:
>
>Shouldn't one be allowed to advertise a product so long as the product is legal?

First let me preface with the fact that I am a smoker, but I have tried
(and failed miserably) to quit.  Even so, an advertising ban doesn't
bother *me* any - I'm already stuck on a brand.  But, it might have some
effect in reducing the number of people that start smoking.  Which
is a good thing.  I don't want to get into an argument about whether 
tobacco advertising may influence some people to start smoking.  It
might even do so.  But, if you start smoking, it's your own damn fault -
you hold complete responsibility.

However, this does make me a little mad:

>Wouldn't it be more useful to put another tax on tobacco products and
>use the generated revenue to help tobacco farmers switch to other crops?

Where in hell does the billions of dollars the government already takes
in tobacco taxes go?  Mostly general revenues.

How tacky can you get: the government profitting and blackmailing thru
an individual's addictions.  I know that there's an argument that
tobacco taxes help offset increased health costs due to smoking, but
I suspect it more than offsets it (depends I guess on which figures
you believe).

Wouldn't it make more sense to use some substantial piece of that which
the government *already* takes in tobacco taxes to help tobacco farmers 
to switch?  Would save money in the long run ...

If they increase taxes again, as they do almost every budget, the vast majority
will still go into general revenues, and little of it will be available
to solve the problem.  If they raise it high enough to be an effective
deterrent, the total revenues will fall off, and there still won't be 
anything left to help the farmers.
-- 
Chris Lewis, Spectrix Microsystems Inc,
UUCP: {uunet!mnetor, utcsri!utzoo, lsuc, yunexus}!spectrix!clewis
Phone: (416)-474-1955