[seanmcdirmid]

Smoking is obviously bad, I think we all get that. I for one welcome "social pressure" as an effective mechanism for getting all of us to quit; its quite useful to limit the places that one can smoke, and to make it uncool when hanging out with a certain crowd, or even continuous admonishment from non-smokers. I would also be happy if cigarettes completely disappeared or were incredibly expensive; less temptation for me.

Smoking is not a personal problem, it is a societal one. Barring effective personal solutions, societal solutions will be more effective. Maybe they won't get you to stop smoking, but your kids probably won't smoke, and in a few generations it will be gone.

Consider that I never started smoking until I moved to a country at around 35 yro where smoking was common, welcomed everywhere but Starbucks, and cigarettes are incredibly cheap ($1.25/pack). It started out as a social habit at bars, and eventually turned into an addiction that I depended on for creativity. Now that I've associated it with that, and have been...more effective (coincidental or not)...its hard to just blow off the habit. Health or a successful career?

Oh and no, I never wear seat belts because they are always hidden in the taxis I take.