Deal Aims To Prevent Web Cigarette Sales

Business Week Online ^ | March 17, 2005 | AP

[cgbg]

Major credit card companies will refuse to participate in Internet sales of cigarettes under a government agreement made Thursday.

[Max in Utah]

Both are legal but one sale is designed for tax cheats.

You just haven't been affected so far. If government placed an outrageous tax on one of your "must have" items, you'd probably be looking for a way to cheat too.

I'm furious. They found a way to gouge a minority of citizens in order to get more money to waste on bigger government. They didn't use the money for medical care and education, they just defrauded us and dropped the loot into the general fund.

I wish all smokers could simultaneously quit for just one month. It would shock the hell out of those money-grubbing bastards!

[Raycpa]

I wish all smokers could simultaneously quit for just one month. It would shock the hell out of those money-grubbing bastards!

That is the problem with addiction. Addiction makes one a slave. Slaves work their master. Tobacco becomes the master and the addict is willing to part with everything he has in order to please his master.

The only reason government can control the smokers pocketbook is because the smoker cherishes his tobacco more than his freedom.

[jsmith48]

It is clear that the states are going after the Post Office and other carriers, credit cards, and the vendors themselves in an all-out effort to close the loopholes.

Welcome to the New Mafia. Terrorists purchase cigs in a state with low taxes, and resell them in another state with higher taxes.

Soon tobacco will become illegal, like marijuana, and we'll start seeing shootouts and speakeasys again.

[Max in Utah]

That is the problem with addiction. Addiction makes one a slave.

Point conceded.

But I'm curious... were you ever a smoker?

[CSM]

Relative risk is not statistically significant until it exceeds 2.0, feel free to continue to use your table tho'.

[daybreakcoming]

General Funds are my pet peeve. States that promise gambling money going to education usually put it in General Fund and we all know how that works.

[Max in Utah]

...we all know how that works.

Yeah, they urinate it away along with the rest of the money.

[Gabz]

The RR's don't reach 2 and are thus statistically insignificant.

[Gabz]

I wonder how this will effect other tobacco products..........the only thing ever mentioned is cigarettes.

[Chode]

depends on the person...

i smoked two packs of Lucky's a day and that's about as hooked as you can get.

but i said that the day they hit $1.00 a pack... i was going to quit. they did so i did.

[CSM]

I say they need to tax the heck out of all products containing nicotine! Its for the chillllrrrruuuunnn after all!

[Gabz]

Yup..........including tomatoes and eggplant and other fruits and veggies of the nightshade family.

[cgbg]

addiction

I bet you are "addicted" to food, clothes, housing, transportation.

First they come for the smokers.

Then they come for you. :-(

[CSM]

Thanks for providing the punch line. I was wondering if someone would catch it and should have known you'd be on the ball.

[Gabz]

For some reason that is one of my favorite comebacks regarding the evil nicotine!!!!

[TigersEye]

Both are legal but one sale is designed for tax cheats.

Both are also considered bad habits with harmful consequences of use.
If this is the way to deal with tobacco then why don't we have sky high taxes on porn?

Next; the firearms public safety/health problem.

[Protagoras]

Both are legal but one sale is designed for tax cheats.

All must help the thieves steal the money,,otherwise, they are the dreaded "tax cheats".

[Protagoras]

What is the point of that chart?

[TomGuy]

i said that the day they hit $1.00 a pack... i was going to quit.

hahaha... I used to say that, except that is was "when a carton got to $7.00".

Well, it got to $7, then $9, $12.50, $18.50, $22.50, $27.50.

That was just too much. Two years ago, I finished off the remainder of a pack, and have not smoked since.

Up until the moment (9:30 a.m.) that day, January 27, 2003 [sticks in my mind -- lol], I half-heartedly tried to quit a few times over the last 38 years. Once I went a whole 24 hours. Substituted a pipe for the cig; that worked, except that I was lighting up the pipe 10 times a day. Three years ago, I went a whole week -- with only 1 cig per day. But when I made the decision two years ago, I stuck with it. It wasn't so bad. I had 3 bad cravings a day; and they only lasted about 10 seconds.

[Raycpa]

Yep.