While I'm personally not against drinking, I would like to point out that it can affect other people who are not consuming alcohol. Everyone has made a big deal about the effects of secondhand smoke, but not so much about the secondhand effects of alcohol consumption.
More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke.
For the year 2006, the number of alcohol-induced deaths, excluding accidents and homicides was 22,073. For the same year, the number of alcoholic liver disease deaths was 13,050.
Of course, your mileage may vary...
I am confused why so few go from crappy mainstream cigarettes to exotic tobacco blends.
...because most of the manufacturers of exotic tobacco products stopped exporting them to the US when all the litigation began. Sobranies is an excellent example of a luxury brand... you cannot get them in the US anymore. Now the cost would be way too prohibitive... they were about $10 a "pack" (more like a small cigar box) about 10 years ago... if they were still available now that the new taxes have gone into effect (I pay almost $20 more per carton for my ghetto Capris now compared to six months ago) they would probably be about $20-$25 per "pack."
I agree that something should be done about "sin taxes" as well... at least make it a level playing field. Artery clogging food probably causes more health problems than either smoking or drinking.
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timeasmymeasure
Alcohol consumption DOES affect other people, though...
Date: 2009-06-08 03:30 pm (UTC)http://www.dui.com/dui-library/fatalities-accidents/statistics/drunk-driving-fatalities
The statistics for average annual traffic fatalities resulting from drunk driving in the US is about 17,000.
There are also a number of alcohol-related domestic violence cases:
http://www.marininstitute.org/alcohol_policy/violence.htm
"In 2002, more than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault in the U.S."
"An estimated 480,000 children are mistreated each year by a caretaker with alcohol problems."
http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/alcohol.htm
More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
For the year 2006, the number of alcohol-induced deaths, excluding accidents and homicides was 22,073. For the same year, the number of alcoholic liver disease deaths was 13,050.
Of course, your mileage may vary...
I am confused why so few go from crappy mainstream cigarettes to exotic tobacco blends.
...because most of the manufacturers of exotic tobacco products stopped exporting them to the US when all the litigation began. Sobranies is an excellent example of a luxury brand... you cannot get them in the US anymore. Now the cost would be way too prohibitive... they were about $10 a "pack" (more like a small cigar box) about 10 years ago... if they were still available now that the new taxes have gone into effect (I pay almost $20 more per carton for my ghetto Capris now compared to six months ago) they would probably be about $20-$25 per "pack."
I agree that something should be done about "sin taxes" as well... at least make it a level playing field. Artery clogging food probably causes more health problems than either smoking or drinking.