[postmortembees]

Punishing the people who are suffering from addiction with a tax isn't ideal.

I think we might be better off with a national tax that goes towards funding the healthcare necessary to support people moving off. Want to stop smoking? Here's a clinic that will work with you to develop a plan, supply you with materials, provide the counseling and community support, all for free.

And sure, if you've got that in place, dial up the costs to onboard into smoking. Prevent new addicts through price and regulation, address existing addicts with huge outpouring of support. It's expensive up front, but gets us in a healthy state long term.

[webdood90]

> Punishing the people who are suffering from addiction with a tax isn't ideal

the world lacks accountability and this perspective perpetuates it

there are consequences for your actions and the majority should not suffer for the minority's idiotic habit.

[fragmede]

And yet we let billionaires exist with their idiotic perchance for hoarding wealth and the rest of us suffer greatly from the wealth disparity. There are consequences for their actions and the majority should not suffer for the minority's idiotic habit.

[valval]

Billionaires are wealthy because the companies they own stock in are successful. What are you going to do, make them sell the stock to pay someone else’s living?

It’s a rhetorical question by the way -- your position is not very defensible.

[Turing_Machine]

Insurance should be allowed to charge more if you smoke (though not that much more... dying early often results in less cost to the government/insurance company, not more).

But tax?

No.

[postmortembees]

That's a sociopathic way to think about someone who has made one mistake and developed a lifelong chemical dependence.