Sources: Men Arrested Trying To Repaint Bedford Bike Lane
Giuliani Takes Job As Security Consultant For Rio Olympics
Co-ed Dorm Rooms Coming To Columbia
New Jersey State Senate To Vote On Gay Marriage
Billy Joel's Daughter Hospitalized After Overdose
Mayor Bloomberg, you did it. With the crazy taxes on packs of cigarettes, free nicotine patches, and smoking bans in bars, the number of adult smokers in New York City dropped by 11%. Now, people will just live and rue your name longer. Additionally, there's a reported 13% drop in consumption from smokers, the assumption being that smokers are smoking less. Some people, from tobacco companies to some local politicians, doubt that the figures from the Bloomberg administration show declines that steep, since the Mayor and his crew would want to push their agenda. Gothamist liked how Dr. Steven A. Schroeder, from UC San Francisco, called the mayor's measures a "perfect trifecta" - "raising taxes very steeply, making it harder to smoke indoors, and promoting cessation, so you would expect a dramatic result." Trifecta, yes. Winning the 2005 election, who knows. More results about the drop in city smoking from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Mayor Bloomberg is also supportive of the effort to increase the legal smoking age from 18 to 19. He said, "I've done what I think I can to discourage smoking in this city...It hadn't occurred to me that they would raise the age." Whatever. Gothamist never knew of anyone running out for big smoking parties when we turned 18. It was smoking stale cigarettes under the bleachers in middle school all the way.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
this reminds me of chapelle's skit last night about bloomberg/the smoking ban. hilarious.
How do they determine these stats? If it's based on sales, well I haven't bought a pack in NY state for a year. I just wonder how they measure the #'s. I'd love it if someone could clue me in. thanks!
Exactly...if this survey is based on NYC cigarette sales it is meaningless. I know one person who has quit since 2001 but at least 10 that have stopped purchasing cigarettes in NY and started buying them on the web from places like yes smoke...
Smoking should be trated just like alcohol. Only places licensed to sell alcohol should be allowed to sell cigarettes and they should stand to lose their license for selling cigarettes to anyone under 21 just as they do for selling alcohol.
I say this as someone who began smoking at 16 and quit just over a year ago.
According to NPR this morning, they determined those numbers from a phone survey. I believe they interviewed a 1000 people for this survey. As with all surveys, keep in mind that it is a load of crap.
I don't think one can rue Mr. Bloomberg's name. You can rue the day you voted for him, but you'd likely only curse his name.
Cheers.
I thank Mike every day for that smoking ban. It makes the bars infinitely more pleasurable, and my hang overs less severe. For the tax hike, however, I want to make like an angered she-bear and chase him personally out of the city.
I made my first cigarette purchase on my 14th birthday. Camel was giving away a very cool, promotional cigarette lighter in specially marked packages. Unfortunately, this kid named Raymond later stole it out of the right side pocket of my Chicago Bulls Starter jacket, and I was forced to buy yet another two packs of cigarettes to get another lighter. it was around then that I became hooked. Turning 18 took the illicit fun out of smoking cigarettes, and I promptly quit and took up drinking 40s of Crazy Horse in my friend Jane's basement. Raising the minimum smoking age to 19 would only increase the length of time middle school smokers will have to smoke before figuring out that it isn't cool once you're allowed. Bloomers should think about this. Hard.
Future headlines:
RAPID DECLINE IN OBESITY IN NEW YORK CITY, 2009
This can be achived if Bloomberg:
1. Puts a mandatory tax on all fast-food restaurants, effectively making a Big Mac, fries and Coke cost $8.00
2. Bans all fast-food restaurants that are open past 1AM
3. Puts a limit on the amount of calories any single food item can have
4. Makes the "free refill" illegal
5. 1/4-pound limit on any amount of beef in a single burger
6. Raises taxes on candies, chips and sugary sodas by $1.00
The end result will be good, and will save lives.
RAPID DECLINE IN CRIME IN NEW YORK CITY, 2009
This can be achived if Bloomberg:
1. Puts a mandatory 10pm curfew on all children under the age of 18, punishable by fine/imprisonment
2. Puts a mandatory 12am curfew on all young adults between the ages of 18 and 21, punishable by imprisonment
3. Jails all loiterers, on the spot
4. Raises property taxes and fees as to make every neighborhood expensive, causing poorer (and more criminal) residents to leave
5. Makes a 3-drink limit on any customer in a bar
6. Closes bars/clubs at 1AM
The end result will be good, and will save lives.
RAPID DECLINE IN TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN NEW YORK CITY, 2009
1. Makes it illegal to have sex if you are a teenager (through age 19), punishable by fine and/or jail time
2. Make abortions mandatory for anyone under the age of 19, regardless of whether they want to have it (I'm pro-choice, but this will certainly cut down on pregnancy)
The end result will be good, and will save lives.
Oh wait, do these measures seem excessive and violate our civil liberties and principles of self responsibility? But they're all for good causes! Hey, at least our clothes don't smell like smoke!
For one thing, it doesn't change my desire to see him voted out of office in 2005.
USA sucks ass where is the freedom. I'm 18 and i can't choose if wanna smoke wtf is this. I love smoking i can quit everything else but ill smoke no matter what... it's the shittiest law ever made