Is smoking coming back???

1. 59

   Jackilynposted 16 years ago

   Is it just me or people starting to smoke more ? When I'm driving to a store I'll see about 15 people smoke and when i'm on the freeway I'll see about 20 people . Has it been like this for awhile and I'm just noticing it or is smoking coming back that way people can lose weight ?

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2. 57

   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   It never went away.

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      Jackilynposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      well it sure looks like alot of people are starting it.

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   relacheposted 16 years ago

   Where I live, on the West Coast of the US, it's clearly on the way out.  However, that fact has made people who are smokers standout more obviously.  Part of it is, there are so many buildings and enclosed spaces where you can no longer legally smoke, in cars and walking down sidewalks are some of the few places left where you can.
   
   Except in Las Vegas.  No matter where you go, that cigarette smell hits you the second you step inside a casino.

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      Jackilynposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      true very true.

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   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   Give me the stench of a 12 lane highway any day.

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   thecounterpunchposted 16 years ago

   The Big Picture is Big Money and Brainwashing as usual: the Bush now want to legalize drugs
   http://hubpages.com/hub/THE_BUSH-CHENEY_DRUG_EMPIRE
   because as a huge of people ignore the Harriman / Bush Families are controlling the commerce of Opium since 200 years.
   
   To make people believe the contrary they faint to fight drugs on the surface. This is for those familiar with propaganda techniques so called Hegelian Dialectics:
   http://hubpages.com/hub/How_propaganda_works
   
   Arresting the victims instead of the dealers make people adhere to drugs in the name of the victims. It has become a fashion in some circles to take some drugs whereas taking cigarette will be seen more and more as antisocial.
   
   In the end, that's what a controlled state like the Bushes want: a Brave New World with mind control thinking they are "free" to take drug what a joke. Free to escape a reality they can't stand ? Instead of fighting for true liberty.
   
   No matter what, if people gave up cigarettes, the stress of modern life can only grow, and so cigarettes declining = drug increasing = more total controlled society = more people thinking they are "free".
   
   All in all happy end: Government gets what they want: control, people gets what they want: illusion of freedom.
   
   That's all Folk !
   
   Oh my I made a wasted post whereas I could make an article on my hub 
   
   By the way I never smoke a cigarette since very young I have always refused to follow the herd fashion. Today the herd fashion is to take drugs.

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   thecounterpunchposted 16 years ago

   The trend is down, long term cigarettes will go away more or less but it will be replaced, that's even the very purpose of his going away: do you really think that the big mega corporations will just let it go if there wasn't some very good reasons ?
   
   And the very good reason is this, people are now ready for drugs to fight the stress of their life which will be more and more difficult as economics is going to be harder from 2020 (as forecasted by the CIA, the worst being around 2035 according to british secret intelligence bringing the world to disorder and nazi-like regime).
   
   Cigarettes were the soft way to increase "people's internal compulsions" (see below Aldous Huxley essay about the Ultimate Revolution which was kind of prophecy in 1962) . Now it's time to make people go one step further in this compulsion with drugs. That's why I'm 200% sure drugs will be legalized (with of course some funniest comedy of fight by the extremist catholists so as to make people sympathize with the opposite idea).
   
   http://www.libertythink.com/Huxleytranscript.txt
   
   The Ultimate Revolution by Aldous Huxley
   
   March 20, 1962
   Berkeley Language Center - Speech Archive SA 0269
   
   How to operate directly on the psycho-physiological organisms of man. That is the capacity to replace external constraint by internal compulsions.

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   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   I disagree counterpunch - It is nicotine replacement therapy that they are trying to sell. None of them help you quit smoking and they are all more expensive than cigarettes.

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      thecounterpunchposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Sure but this is the little commerce's profit, not the Big One.

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      darksideposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Just a couple of weeks ago I saw these "tubes" on the shelf with the gum and patches. I guess it's the first step in "learning" how not to smoke. They still get to hold something in their hands and do the smoking action thing. And of course it was so unbelievably expensive, but the funny thing I found was the warning label on the box...
      
      "should not be used if you are allergic to nicotine".
      
      What the?

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         Marisa Wrightposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         "should not be used if you are allergic to nicotine".
         
         Not so strange as it sounds, darkside. My ex-father-in-law was allergic to nicotine.  He went to his doctor because he was having excruciating stomach cramps.  The doc told him he was allergic to nicotine. 
         
         Dad-in-law thought, "Yea, right, this is just a ploy to make me give up smoking", but he tried going without a cigarette for a couple of days and sure enough, the stomach cramps immediately stopped!
         
         The amazing thing was that in spite of the cramps, he never managed to give up smoking altogether.  He was prepared to be doubled over in pain a couple of times a day for the sake of his nicotine hit.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         Well we seem to have several conversations on the go here, but what the hey.
         
         Nicotine replacement absolutely DOES NOT help you quit cigarettes. You just try finding any information on the subject. All the studies show the same fact. As soon as people stop using the replacements - they go back to cigarettes. So my point to cp was that the drug companies have paid the government to make smoking in public places illegal so that people will buy the patches etc instead. If they really cared about public health, driving cars would be illegal and there would be a decent public transport system. Got any trains in the US? nope.

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            Isabella Snowposted 16 years agoin reply to this

            Are you kidding??

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               Mark Knowlesposted 16 years agoin reply to this

               I lived there for ten years. There is no public transport outside of a few major cities and down the east coast - Unless you count aircraft.

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                  Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years agoin reply to this

                  I have friends who have taken the train cross country.  But, public transportation does suck here!

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                  Isabella Snowposted 16 years agoin reply to this

                  I lived there for 27 (NE, W and SW), and there most certainly are trains! Unless AmTrak has gone out of service?
                  
                  And if you mean metro - they only exist in major cities because they're impractical in Podunk USA where people would never dream of using them. Thats why they dont exist. I lived in Texas for 8 years, and every time they tried to get the vote to install a light rail, people voted it down. Cos Texans would never give up their cars (trucks!). Its a mentality - nothing to do with health, IMO.
                  
                  Besides, where I live now has one of the best, most reliable transportation systems in the world - but it aint the healthiest, for sure. If you walk down the street during the winter months, you'll breathe in more carcinogens than O2.

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8. 57

   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   You are kidding. Have you seen how much those things are? The National Health Service is pushing them like crazy in the UK, and you can get "free" help - for six months. In France too. The drug companies will make at least as much money as the cigarette companies (Who just happen to be owners of drug companies now.)
   
   I emailed the NHS  and asked why they were pushing nicotine replacement therapy, when every study I have read conclusively proves they are NO USE in helping people quit cigarettes. No reply.
   
   This is the next step. Get you hooked on nicotine gum/patches/whatever.
   
   After that, maybe you are right, but they will milk this for all it's worth first.

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   Iðunnposted 16 years ago

   Just joined the massive Mark Knowles fan club based on his ability to stand aside from pack animal group think, government agitprop and to cut straight to the chase of following the money.  Clearly an intelligent and level-headed man. 
   
   Mr. Knowles, I look forward to going through your Hubs as I find the time.

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      Mark Knowlesposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Why thank you lounn ( I cant make out if that's an Umlaut over the o, but if it is, I apologize for missing it.)

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      thecounterpunchposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      "massive fan club" and "pack animal group think" are not really antinomic if I may dare say (I've always been first in maths at school because of Logic )

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         Iðunnposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         touche. 
         
         It's my personal hang up.  I tend to wait on the popular even in say, film.  For example I didn't see "American Beauty" for like two years after it came out because everyone did, but when I did finally view it, I was stunned.
         
         I tend to seek first the underbirdz in any venue.  Groups rarely appeal, so it takes something pretty extraordinary to make me notice the less esoteric.

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10. 0

    Iðunnposted 16 years ago

    It's more or less a 'd' like Idunn and I'm unsure what that little mark would be called.  If it helps, I can't type it either although if I weren't so lazy I could look up how to with the alt key - I had those sources once for proper usage of Gaeilge but they are lost somewhere in my massive files.  Since I rarely have to refer to myself, I tend to copy and paste the thing in. :p

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       Ralph Deedsposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       I get it--as in Irene Dunn!

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    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    ldunn/lounn with an umlaut - Thank you. I couldn't find it on my keyboard either.
    
    counterpunch - Trust me when I say it takes a lot to make me admit when I don't know something, but I had to look "antinomic" up and I think you have misused it.

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       thecounterpunchposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       Sais-tu que j'ai eu 18/20 au bac de français à Henri IV corrigé par un prof de Louis Le Grand. Je crois que tu vas avoir du mal à m'apprendre les subtilités de la sémantique ; à ce propos ne te contentes pas des dicos en ligne ce n'est pas synonyme de Paradoxe sinon j'aurai utilisé ce dernier
       
       Sorry guys this was just between french

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12. 0

    Iðunnposted 16 years ago

    paradox or irony might have been the better word choice.  although I continue to be of the mind that it's neither.

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13. 57

    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    counterpunch - 'D'accord, mais peut-être un autre mot pourrait être plus approprié et j'ai appris qu'il y a quelques mots qui sont intraduisibles du Français. Quel est le mot français que vous auriez choisi ? And yes, semantic is probably correct in this case. But a good discussion nonetheless.
    
    Lounn - I may have lost the plot on this one. My French is not perfect. Especially in writing.

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       thecounterpunchposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       Doesn't matter, it was just a disgression from the very subject here, I was just teasing a little bit I didn't mean you didn't merit your fans

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    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    I wrote a quick hub on:
    The Smokeless, Odorless Cigarette
    
    What do you guys think?  It is interesting, but I don't think it will take off as a popular alternative to "smoking."

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15. 57

    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    It's an interesting hub, but one of the attractions of cigarettes is the masochistic pain on inhalation. The other attraction is the "cool" factor  and these aren't cool.

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    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    And fancy adding a tracker in a forum post

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    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    Hee hee!  It's all HubPages...I always forget the html link they provide doesn't work on the forums!

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    Isabella Snowposted 16 years ago

    I don't give a toss if people smoke as long as I don't have to breathe their secondhand smoke in. It's stunning how many inept smokers haven't the sense to turn their heads and exhale in another direction.

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    Marisa Wrightposted 16 years ago

    If I may go back to the original question, I notice smoking is definitely on the increase again in Australia.
    
    I arrived in Oz over twenty years ago.  From then until about five years ago, I could go out to an office farewell party at a pub, and only a handful of people in our group would smoke.  Those parties generally included a range of age groups, and the smokers seemed to be a random mix of ages. 
    
    Four or five years ago, I noticed a change as a new generation of bright young things joined the workforce.  I'd go to an office party and almost every woman under 25 would be puffing away. 
    
    Now, most public spaces are smoke-free so people have to go outside to smoke.  Look at the crowds clustered around the outside of office buildings and it's overwhelmingly young women.  In fact, there's a lovely story that an American came to visit our Sydney offices and was asked what he thought of our city.
    
    "I'd heard you Australians were broad-minded," he said, "but I'm surprised you allow prostitution in the city in broad daylight."
    
    He had been looking at all the girls standing on street corners smoking, and jumped to the wrong conclusion...

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    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    You know, Marisa, you have an interesting point.  I feel like I see less people smoking now...but, I no longer hang out at bars and clubs as often as I used to. When I think about it, my friends who still go to these places tend to smoke more.  I have a couple co-workers who smoke.  I'm always giggling when I see them outside, in the rain (this is Seattle after all) or freezing cold, just to puff away.  Of course, when the weather is nice, I take fresh air breaks since they get to take smoking breaks.

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       Isabella Snowposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       I wouldn't have gone outside in the rain for a smoke unless I really needed one - but smoking in cold weather is pretty nice. If smoking can be nice... Much better than smoking in the hot, hot sun.

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    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    We have trains.  Just not a lot.

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22. 86

    Marisa Wrightposted 16 years ago

    Mark, I have known a couple of people who stopped smoking using the nicotine replacements.  They did it by being disciplined, and gradually reducing the amount of the nicotine product they used. 
    
    But I do agree - from what I can see, most people who use these things just replace one with the other, and that's obviously not going to achieve anything.  In fact, I suspect some people take in more nicotine chewing the gum than they did smoking:  with the cigarettes, they would ration their intake because they're aware of the health risk, whereas they see no reason to ration the gum!

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    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    Yes, but you missed the point I was making - If the government truly had our interests at heart, driving would be illegal - not smoking. And why won't they give up their trucks? Advertising? Cheap gas ? I lived in Virginia and the same thinking applies. But if there was a decent, clean, affordable public transport system, people would use it.

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       Isabella Snowposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       I did not miss your point, I just disagree with it. Besides, look at how expensive gas is in the UK and on the continent - doesn't stop people from driving, does it? That's just another sign the people only care about the freedom to drive. They would never stand for making driving illegal!
       
       With regard to the US, it's impractical - completely cost ineffective - to put public transportation in rural America.
       
       And as for Virginia..  there surely is a public transportation and rail service there. I dunno where you lived - but I know it's pretty good in the DC area. And the rails seem to cover plenty of other areas.
       
       http://www.drpt.state.va.us/

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    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    
    
    It may not be cost effective, but that is my point - cost shouldn't matter. All over the the US and the UK, there is poor rural public transport because it is not cost effective. So, you buy a car, so you don't use what public transport there is, and the government gets taxes and people use gas, and pay to buy new tires etc...... and everyone is happy. At least the guys who sell the cars and the gas and collect the taxes are.
    
    But it is not in our interest to drive. And the no smoking rule is more about creating revenue for the people who sell nicotine patches than about public health.
    
    Sure it's anti social, but so is driving a car past my house.

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    Isabella Snowposted 16 years ago

    Well... I understand what you're saying... but in the case of America there are bigger health problems the government could stand to foot the bill for, before adding prevention in the form of public transport.. we don't really have an NHS, you know.. not one that's worth anything, anyway.
    
    But I see your point, nonetheless.
    
    And now we know you'd rather we stop by your place for wine and cheddar, as opposed to driving past it.

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    Iðunnposted 16 years ago

    Isabella is right about one thing.  You can have Texans' huge gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs down here when you can pry them from their dead cold (go Bush!) non-nicotined stained hands.  And there is no real public transport.
    
    Mr. Knowles is right, too.  They did a study that showed that driving down a highway in a car with a smoker and all the windows closed up was significantly less damaging than driving down the highway with a smoker and all the windows down.
    
    And what conclusions did the researchers gain from this study?  They determined that second hand smoke was SO deadly it was even worse when mixed in with the 'fresh' and moving air. 
    
    I mean, who are these retards?  Obviously you'd be better off trapped in a tiny space with a smoker than breathing in all those exhaust fumes, but 'special interest' scientists don't seem terribly attached to the truth anymore.

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    Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

    That's not how I took it.
    
    Unfortunately, my French is not perfect and I was unsure of what you said.
    
    I think we are on the same page politics-wise, just a little lacking in the communications department.

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