_deleted_ 70 points 7 days ago

I stopped smoking thirty years ago partly because cigarettes were $7 a pack and that’s just ridiculous. Now the same size pack is over $50 (Australia)

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IWW4 18 points 7 days ago

So story time.

I smoked in high school and early college and quit before I graduated.

I then joined the Army and went overseas and did not restart smoking. So I oblivious to the cost of cigarettes.

I came back to the states and the first time I bought cigarettes since early college was for my brother around 2001/2002. He was broke and came over for Thanksgiving so decided to get him a carton of cigarets as he was out.

I was floored. A pack of cigarets was 10 bucks a carton cost 100 dollars. 10 bucks a pack.

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NeatNit 15 points 7 days ago

Cigarettes (and to some extent alcohol) are one thing I think should be very heavily taxed, and therefore very expensive. The high prices are intended to encourage people to quit smoking, and more importantly, discourage people from getting addicted in the first place. Heck, a handful of countries are finally starting to ban cigarettes altogether for people born after a certain year. This is good.

I know I'm speaking from a point of "privilege", I've never smoked in my life and never been addicted to any substance. I know it's just not feasible for some people to quit, and for them, the high prices really suck. But on a society level, I still think it's better if cigarettes are expensive enough to remind you you should quit every time you buy them.

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Delphia 2 points 6 days ago

Nah, because then you have the situation Australia has now which is that the financial incentive to bring in illegal cigarettes and sell them which creates organised crime groups who keep firebombing each others shit.

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trebach 2 points 6 days ago

The US has the importation issue on a smaller scale because the tax on cigarettes varies between cities and states. Crooks will drive box trucks full of cigarettes from Virginia (which has the second lowest tax on them) to New York City (which has the highest).

A form has to be filled out above a certain number of packs so they'll buy just below that amount at different locations to avoid having the purchases recorded by the state.

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