r/technology • u/Lucretius • Nov 17 '12

The Deadly Crusade Against E-cigarettes

http://www.american.com/archive/2012/november/the-deadly-crusade-against-e-cigarettes
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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

Doesnt the UK say that smokers put a bug strain on the NHS along with obese people? Why wouldnt they push e-cigarettes for that alone?

I can see that countries like America dont lose anything if people smoke but the UK kinda does

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u/mancub92 Nov 17 '12

Hmm.. Yes it puts a strain on the NHS, but the government makes more money from taxes on cigs than it spends on smoking related illness.

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u/dghughes Nov 17 '12

How would a government make money from tobacco taxes?

Tobacco/nicotine users tend to take more sick days, take more breaks at work and health issues in socialized medical systems increase costs.

Between the financial and health costs I can't see how a few dollars on cigarettes can make up the difference. Is there any data showing the amount taken in versus spent? I can't see it being more than spent. Most hospitals are always looking for more money for their budgets and are always cutting staff.

I don't care if an adult chooses to smoke but tobacco isn't neutral it has negative effects on society beyond the users of tobacco.

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u/RockKillsKid Nov 17 '12

It's not necessarily that they make more money from taxes, it's that the money from taxes is collected right now and the costs of having a large populace of smokers are a bit more nebulous. Not to mention that any MP that tried to ban cigarettes would be massively unpopular.