Looking at the banners you folk in the states have it bad your smokes are so cheap In Oz they are taxed to nearly a $ each.
who exactly doesn't want you to quit?
How the system works in the U.S.:
1. Politician proposes some health initiative, but no one wants to see their income tax increase.
2. Politician proposes to fund said initiative by imposing a "sin tax," which is a tax on tobacco and/or alcohol products.
3. Depending on whether it happens at the state or federal level, either ballot measure or federal bill is introduced. Since the majority of Americans are not smokers or tobacco users, the bill will pass since it will not effect most voters, but it WILL fund a public health initiative which will benefit a large number of people.
4. Smokers and chewers pay more.
In the States, offering to pay for something with a tobacco tax is a pretty much sure-fire way to get it passed. The problem is that as fewer and fewer Americans smoke every year, everything that way pay for with tobacco taxes loses funding each year. But as a culture, we want services, but we don't want our taxes to go up to pay for them. Hence, we have no nationalized health-care system even though it would save everyone money.
I'm so incredibly happy with this switch, and drinking was a huge test of whether I could kick the smokes or not. The more I read about PG and nicotine, the happier I get. I haven't had a cigarette since 10 pm Sunday, and now its 3:40 am Tuesday. This is the first time I've been more than 3 waking hours without at cigarette in 9 years. And the first time I've gone more that 30 drunken minutes without one in 8 years. I've spent the last 28 hours recommending the switch to every smoker I know.
