California Bumps Its Efforts to Curb Smoking

Apr 11, 2017 by Justin Vict

California recently enacted a cigarette tax in an effort to make these “cancer sticks” financially harder to obtain.

Smoking Really Does Cause Cancer

Smoking cigarettes has been linked to lung cancer. It’s also been linked to kidney, bladder, stomach, and upper respiratory tract cancers. Needless to say, smoking cigarettes is most likely going to give you some kind of cancer diagnosis. Why? Because with every puff of that lit stick, you’re introducing all over your body 60 chemicals that have been proven to cause cancer.

The CDC themselves state that smoking cigarettes cause between 80 to 90 percent of lung cancers. That’s a pretty high percentage – who would want to smoke knowing that?

California Steps In

That’s probably why California’s putting its foot down to help end the nationwide addiction to this dangerous product. It’s not an April Fool’s joke by no means – they’re imposing a tax that will raise the price of a pack of cigarettes by $2.

California’s one of the most progressive states in the U.S.. To name a few of its noteworthy moves, it was the first state to legalize marijuana, and one of the first states to legalize gay marriage. It’s also attempting to enact a universal healthcare within its borders in response to Trump’s new healthcare laws.

But are their cigarette-curbing efforts working? Some residents have tried to counter the tax by stockpiling cartons upon cartons of cigarettes before the tax takes effect. This actually works against the tax’s intentions because stockpiling cigarettes can only lead to increased smoking. Think about it – if you had a freezer full of ice cream in your home, you’d inevitably eat more ice cream on a regular basis, even if it’s just a gradual increase.

But thankfully, other residents have vowed to quit smoking because of the price hike. Some quote that the $2-increase would cost them $100 or more per month to maintain their cigarette smoking habit. Some have said they’re thankful for the price hike being the catalyst to get them to finally quit their cancer-causing habit.

This isn’t the only attempt California has made to end the cycle of cigarette addiction. In 2016, they’ve raised the legal age to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21 – the same as drinking alcohol. Their efforts seem to be working because there’s a marked decrease in the number of smokers within the state.

Perhaps one day the U.S. will finally ban these cancer-causing sticks. But that’s a far future. Like firearms, tobacco is an integral part of U.S. history. The first cigarette was made in the U.S. and its ensuing sales significantly lead to early U.S. prosperity. On a political level, banning cigarettes would be something like turning away an integral part of the nation.