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'Australia Is Stubbing Out Smoking' (bbc.com)
Australia was the first country in the world to introduce mandatory plain packaging for tobacco products. Now it is taking another strong stand, but will other countries follow suit? From an article on BBC, shared by an anonymous reader: It's not easy being a smoker in Australia.
The smoking bans started inside -- in workplaces, bars and restaurants -- and moved out. "Now, smoking is prohibited within 10m (33ft) of a playground, within 4m (13ft) of the entrance to a public building, at rail platforms, taxi ranks and bus stops," said Mark Driver, Sydney's Park and Recreation Planner. Those are the rules in New South Wales, but they are mirrored in many other states. Smoking is banned on many beaches, and most Australian states have now banned cigarettes in jail. All states ban smoking in vehicles if children are present. Fines vary, but in some places you may be fined AUD$2,000 (USD$1,515) if you smoke in the wrong place. And even if you don't, you'll be paying more than that each year by 2020, if you smoke just one AUD$40 pack a week. [...] These days, smoking is often taken up by people who are on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder, Simone Dennis, an associate professor at Australian National University, points out, "and that adds a burden of shame to people who might already be marginalised." If it's the poor who are now the most likely to smoke, it's hard to see how they will ever afford the AUD$40 (USD$30) pack of cigarettes.
cost of health care? I don't know how it works in Aus but in the UK the costs of lung removals, limb amputations etc. etc fall on the NHS and is apparently a huge burden on the taxpayer
Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
You under estimate the cost of healthcare/chronic illness. £15 * 2 times a day * 365 days * 30 years = only £328,500. The healthcare costs can EASILY eclipse that. In USD "total cost of a single lung transplant to be $561,200.
http://health.costhelper.com/l... [costhelper.com]
To compensate for the long term healthcare costs and chronic treatment throughout the smokers life. Something like £30-£50 seems more appropriate.
So, Is the following statement true or false? Is it true all over the state or only outside Austin?
"everyone can smoke in public along with most businesses being smoker-friendly indoors"
As a Texan who's been living in the College Station area (where Texas A&M University is) since 2002, I can't think of anytime in the last decade that I've seen smoking indoors. And I'm an asthmatic, so I tend to take note of people smoking around me.
I still remember the not-so-fond days (i.e. the '80s and '90s, for me) of places like Cracker Barrel using an open lattice to separate the smoking and "non-smoking" sections of the restaurant. These days though? The last time I remember seeing anyone smoking indoors was at a bar back in 2005 or so. I'll admit, I don't frequent bars, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if smoking was still allowed at some or all of the ones in town, but other than that, I can't remember the last time I saw anyone smoking indoors, whether we're talking about a restaurant, a store, or some other indoor establishment. And while it's generally allowed outdoors, it's such a rare occurrence to actually encounter someone smoking in public that when my wife and I were on a cruise this last December, we were struck by just how unusual it felt to have so many smokers around us when we went out on the deck of the ship.
Really, about the only time I see people smoking at all around here is when I visit the university campus. I'll see clusters of international grad students at the cigarette disposal receptacles 30 ft away from the entrances to major buildings on campus, since they're required by law to maintain that distance if they want to smoke.