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In the U.S., tobacco companies are required to print text warnings on cigarette packages, where the surgeon general gets a small chunk of space to peddle his/her dry warnings regarding the grim dangers of smoking, such as, “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.”
It’s almost as though these warnings are designed to be ignored. Perhaps this is because the tobacco industry, while harmful to consumers, makes for some pretty potent economy fertilizer. Not that I’m suggesting the U.S. government would put its citizens in harm’s way for its own benefit. Cough.
Other governments around the world are taking a remarkably less sissy approach to informing smokers of the health risks, in some cases covering over 50% of the package surface with images of tumors, premature babies, sexually troubled couples, et cetera ad nauseum. In grocery lines, smokers and non-smokers alike are confronted with these queasiness-inducing photographs which peer out the cigarette racks.
Speaking personally, I think smoking is a valid lifestyle choice when the smoker is fully aware of the health risks involved, and so long as they don’t allow their habit to adversely effect the health of others. Though some of the images on the linked page are a bit extreme, I doubt they are very effective for people who already smoke… they’re probably meant to persuade someone who is considering the habit.
Be warned, if you click on the link, you may experience horror, upset stomach, sleeplessness, and it may complicate your efforts to enjoy smoking. Click on individual package images to see other samples from the same country… Singapore’s are some the most graphic.
Cigarette warnings from around the world
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Damn good idea.
And you would choose to smoke, why?
I mean, not only are there all the consequences, but inhaing smoke? That’s just foul. I cannot understand how people can take up the habit in the first place.
I smoke. Yeah, I know it’s bad for me. Amazing how the mind can perform acrobatics, especially when an extremely addictive substance is concerned. By the way, the pack of cigarettes I have on me now has the following warning: “Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.” And it’s in gold type on the red background of the package. That’s the most half-assed warning you could possibly come up with. “Well, I’m not a woman, and I’m certainly not pregnant, so no worries here!” Obviously Big Tobacco has a lot more sway in America, since the plant originates from here and still makes a lot of money for a lot of people. It was pretty shocking when I went to Vancouver B.C. and bought a pack of cancer sticks, only to be confronted with a huge black and white label taking over half of the package that read: “SMOKING CAN KILL YOU!” in English and French. Plus they were expensive as hell. There’s a proposition on the ballot right now here in California that could increase prices up to $7 a pack. If it passes, so what. All the major brands will have buy-one-get-one-free sales just like the last time prices went up. And … I … what was I … damn, I need a cigarette. Don’t ever start, kids!
Hey, wassup? First post and all. Good, that’s out of the way. Since this article is about a year old the odds of anyone reading it are fairly slim so it makes for a good first post.
Personally I can’t see the reasoning behind wishing to smoke, and continuing to smoke, and that’s not just from the position of someone who doesn’t like the smell.
The price in Australia right now for a cigarette is getting higher and higher as – like most other things the government has a hold of – the market becomes the governmental cash-cow similar to the one the public transport system is… but that all aside let us examine the biological effects.
They only provide a minimal boost, hence the reason people chain-smoke, ’cause if the effect was lasting you wouldn’t need to eh?… They rot your lungs. This, while not a bad thing per se, it can become a little tiresome for those around you who do not wish to see half of your lung spread out on a counter somewhere. And finally, well, they smell bad… and make you smell bad.
So essentially you’re paying the government, tobacco companies, and the clerk behind the counter to kill you slowly… which while it sounds okay in those terms, seems bad upon reflection… you know, after all the gum-disease and emphazema stuff kicks in…
But on the plus side, it makes you look COOL!
I smoke on occasion so I can sympathize with the two-pack a day people. They’ll be the first ones to tell you it’s a dumb habit to start. They can’t stop, I’m sure they would if they could.
You holier than thou people posting on here make me sick. In most places now the smokers have to go outside so YOU can breath fresh air. This includes bars, billiard halls, bingos, etc. all of which are known for their smokey environment. Those idiot smokers go outside in the rain, sleet and snow…for you.
Now…if I wanted to I could badmouth everyone that has ever consumed:
Coffee
Alcohol
Carbonated sodas
Fast Food
Chewing Tobacco
Drugs
etc., etc.
At least with cigarettes I can remove myself from an enclosed environment to have one, I can also have five or six cigarettes…hop in my car and drive somewhere without T-boning a car with a mother and three kids in it, killing them all.
Enjoy your beers this St. Patrick’s day though, let that bartender slowly kill your liver and you, or maybe even an innocent car full of people on the way home!!
If you don’t like cigarettes, fine. Don’t smoke them. If you don’t like smokers, fine. Don’t associate with them. But remember this, there are plenty of things YOU do that others find disgusting, we just don’t bring them up constantly.
A favorite quote from the sitcom Third Rock From the Sun; Dick Soloman (John Lithgow) explaining his new habit: ” Sure I understand that smoking takes ten years off your life. But that is at the end of your life, and those years are crappy anyway.”
Ah yes; Nicotine,caffeine,& chocolate, three good reasons to crawl out of bed today. (cough)
It seems like Jeffrey93 didn’t have his cigarrette that morning he read this article. I’ve read all of the comments on this page and I don’t think that anyone is trying to put anyone down for smoking but are just trying to rationalize why smokers do smoke with all of the information out there about how it’s bad for you. Most smokers that I know realize that smoking is bad for them, they even quite often refer to their cigarrettes as cancer sticks and yet they can’t stop. I think after a while it’s more than just the effects that hooks them but the actual act of smoking that they continue to like: the way the smoke feels in their lungs when they inhale, the fun little shapes they can make when they exhale, the social aspect of it (while working or bumming cigarrettes off of other people), even just the act of holding the cigarrette and putting it up to their lips. It’s just not the same as anything else that you consume. I’ve smoked a couple of times, mostly out of curiousity, so I do know what I’m talking about.
If only cigarrettes didn’t make you want to smoke like 10 times a day because almost everything is fine in moderation.
Not many people will see this, because it is an old article, but here is a perfect explanation of 50% of the main reason I smoke cigarettes.
copied from this link,…
http://pythia.wordpress.com/category/texture-of-life/smoking/page/2/
“I’ve always wondered why it is that, while nicotine is a stimulant, smokers are always wanting a cigarette when stressed out, to calm them down. I think I may get it now. Right now I’m upset about something pointless. I’m trying to go to sleep, but can’t because I can’t get this crap out of my mind, and suddenly I realize that I want to smoke.
I’m not craving a cigarette, but rather the meditative experience that I have discovered smoking to be. It’s just enough activity to require attention, but not enough to require real thought, hence the perfect meditative experience. It clears the mind of worries, bringing you back to the here and now. The past fades away behind a cloud of smoke. The future is not important. Perspective is achieved.”
The other 50% of reasoning… communal and as My2Cents said… “the actual act of smoking that they continue to like: the way the smoke feels in their lungs when they inhale, the fun little shapes they can make when they exhale, the social aspect of it (while working or bumming cigarrettes off of other people), even just the act of holding the cigarrette and putting it up to their lips. “
I have smoked for a period of time myself, and have found that it is more of a habit than anything else. People set routines for themselves, they have to have a smoke as soon as they wake up. Someone needs a smoke to get his bowel movement going. Some need one after every meal.
But if you put your mind to it, you can really kick the habit.
Enter your reply text here. OK
my parents told me in grade school that people smoke because of peer pressure. I thought that was silly reason and never tryed smoking. My parents also showed the importance of individualism hence leadership.
Jeffrey93, Well done
I am a smoker and i laugh at the fact that all the non-smokers wanted clean, fresh smelling bars, Clubs etc yet now complain when they are left alone inside said place when all the addicts go outside for a smoke.
There has also been an influx of new terms and phrases associated with this new phenomenon such as “Smirting” which is “Smoke-Flirting”.
It seems like these “Smirters” risk the dreaded Passive smoke to get to the crowds of the opposite sex that huddle in the laughable smoking shelters.
Now who is being unsociable???
I have to agree with Jeffrey93 – we smokers are penalised constantly for our habit – yes we know it is bad for us and yes we know all of the reasons why we shouldnt do it. But then you look around at all the people that drink and think… “but you are just as bad!” alcohol is also a drug just like nicotine. Sure its not addictive in the same way but it still does alot of damage to people themselves and sadly, more often than not, the people around them. Smokers should not be shunned by society. If we are penalised, then drinkers, drug takers and so on should also be treated the same.