Revenue gained from the governmental taxes on the sale of tobacco is not enormous enough to even pay for the costs to society that smoking incurs.  The price of a package of cigarettes would have to be over $11 Canadian with most of it going to the government in order to cover the expenses that the public has to pay when a smoker smokes them.  Check out this report (hyperlink below).  The amounts in the article were converted to Canadian dollars in an article published in the Vancouver Sun but I can't find that article.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/04/11/smoke010411

Dave Bedford
www.LivingSmokeFree.com



At 11:51 AM 4/16/02 -0400, you wrote:

I have had the misfortune of being redirected (illegally) to your hideous display.

Speaking as a NON-smoker, even I can see the disturbing aspects of your plight.

What s next on your list alcohol prohibition???  How many innocent people are affected by drunk drivers, or injured from alcohol related situations????

Maybe, just MAYBE we can lobby to ban automobiles after that, we all know how dangerous they are for innocent people.

What s going to replace the ENORMOUS revenue gained from the governmental taxes on the sale of tobacco.

Sure the health care system is bogged down by many smoking related patients, but the revenue GENERATED from tobacco sales FAR outweighs.

There s nothing in this world that bothers me more than someone with an uneducated opinion.