Ark. governor: Day will come when cigarettes no longer sold

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | August 2, 2006

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee, who successfully pushed for a statewide workplace smoking ban earlier this year, predicted Wednesday that cigarettes eventually won't be sold because of their health risks.

"I think the day will come when we probably won't" sell cigarettes, Huckabee said on his monthly call-in radio show. "If cigarettes were introduced to the marketplace today, they wouldn't be sold. They'd never make it because what we didn't know when they were first created, sold and marketed is just how deadly harmful they were."

Huckabee was responding to a caller's question of why cigarettes are allowed to be sold if they are so harmful. The governor fielded complaints from at least two callers about the state smoking ban, which went into effect July 21.

~ snip ~

[MNJohnnie]

Health Nazis alert!

[Sybeck1]

How will the revenues to the gubmint be replaced?

[randog]

"If cigarettes were introduced to the marketplace today, they wouldn't be sold. They'd never make it because what we didn't know when they were first created, sold and marketed is just how deadly harmful they were."

The exact same thing has been said about gasoline.

[BigTex5]

I refuse to let a government entity tell me how to live my life. If I want to smoke, so be it. I'm a intelligent smoker. I don't smoke around non-smokers, I don't smoke at restaurants or even bars. If I do smoke I'm always on the look out and I will put it out if asked to.

If it comes to it, I'll just grow my own in a garden.

[Just another Joe]

Puff

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"If it comes to it, I'll just grow my own in a garden."

Will you deal?

[mysterio]

Awesome. I hope it comes soon, so a ban on tobacco can defund government and cause the whole failed war on some drugs to come crashing down. Also, the health nazis will get their taxes raised, which I find hilarious.

[weegee]

Prohibition II

[Just another Joe]

Huckabee said the smoking ban is not an attempt to prevent people from smoking, but is a way to protect nonsmokers from tobacco's harmful effects.

I call BS. There is no majority, much less a preponderance, of scientific evidence that shows ETS as harmful to anyone that doesn't have a preexisting medical condition.

"It's not about denying people the right to do something dangerous," he said. "Smoking is unequivocally dangerous...The question is, should the rest of us be responsible for any of the harm?"

I call BS again.
Why would anyone be responsible for harm to a nonsmoker when there isn't harm done?

Follow the money.

[weegee]

Government has to be careful here. If they admit they were harmful, they would have a hand in the liability. They have funded the production of tobacco and profited from its sale.

[The Old Hoosier]

That's the million dollar question. The consumers are eating the entire tobacco settlement -- not the tobacco companies.

[Registered]

"I'm a intelligent smoker.">

Oxymoron alert!

[Republicus2001]

I predict someday drunks won't be Governors in Arkansas anymore

[edzo4]

well when your product kills your customer you are bound to go out of business at some point.

[Blogatron]

"... but trailer parks are safe and perfectly legal, huh Bill?"

[Sir Gawain]

Supply? Demand? What's that?

[Young Scholar]

[tacticalogic]

Someday we will celebrate the attainment of a risk-free society, and promptly be arrested for it.

[Osage Orange]

How will the revenues to the gubmint be replaced?

T A X E S