[norton]

People who are hooked on nicotine will continue to smoke no matter how much the tax is increased. OTOH - when people do quit the tax revenue will go down and the powers that be will raise taxes on other things.

Higher taxes plus fewer smokers = government does not lose it's cash flow (or increases it) and can claim to be doing good.

If you care about people's health, make inhaled tobacco products illegal from production & through to individual use.

Prohibition isn't perfect but it neither is it overtly hypocritical.

[SkyDancer]

Government will lose it’s cash flow from increase cigarette tax when fewer people smoke. It’s not about health with those people, it’s all hyperbole. If you think that a prohibition on tobacco will result in better health you’ve not read history on the Prohibition era.