Burn the tobacco fields?

They claim it’s because they want to protect us, and those around us, from ourselves. Smoking kills, they tell us while they keep raking in the cash; billions of dollars a year in taxes. And, they continue to allow the harvesting of tobacco as well as the manufacture and distribution of tobacco products.

They’ve outlawed smoking in public places, restaurants, bars and private clubs of all manner and description. They’ve banned the advertising of tobacco products in newspapers, magazine and all forms of electronic media. But, they won’t outlaw smoking. They recognize the socio-economic impact of an outright ban. There’s too much money to be made; by growers, by the tobacco industry, by the government.

Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada point out that the big three manufacturers in Canada earn over a billion dollars a year. But the combined tobacco tax revenue for the federal and provincial governments exceeds 7 billion. It’s government which has the most to lose by an outright ban.

They won’t pick a fight with the farmers who earn their livelihood from growing the alleged killer weed. The consumer is an easier target. They’re afraid to do battle with the big corporations who manufacture, package and distribute the deadly toxins. The consumer is without the resources to fight back.

They can’t provide alternatives to the jobs that would be lost. And, they can’t replace the tax revenue generated by the growing, manufacture and sale of tobacco products, especially cigarettes. And, they won’t, ever, convince everyone to quit smoking.

So they take a little money from their sin taxes and hand it over to the anti-smoking lobby to make life miserable for smokers. They pass draconian laws to control when and where people can use what is still a perfectly legal product. They turn honest, hard-working men and women into social pariahs and criminals, just because they choose to smoke.

They proudly proclaim their commitment to the health and safety of the nation. And, all the while, they keep filling government coffers with billions of dollars in taxes.

The anti-smoking fanatics tell them, “The most effective tobacco reduction tool is decreasing the affordability of tobacco through tax policy.” And they, the government, listen; ignoring other available tools to reduce smoking.

Of the over 7 billion dollars collected in taxes on tobacco, governments spend roughly 90 million on other measures to control the addiction; less than 2% of revenue from taxation. Tax revenue, it appears, is their first priority.

I don’t pay their sin taxes. I get my cigarettes from sources currently outside the reach of the government. Yes, it’s illegal. And, no, I don’t feel one bit guilty.

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Word of the day
Hypocrite (hyp·o·crite) Noun
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives