> God I still remember when a friend showed up on his 18th birthday with a pack of cigarettes to show how “mature” he was. I always think about how much that one decision cost him over the years.
The irony of taxing vices. I imagine most of it's paid by people who didn't know better at a young age, and helps encourage the downward spiral of poverty.
And if you say it discourages young people from starting on the addiction, I think we're barking up the wrong tree. Disposable vapes have the highest amount of nicotine they can put in their nicotine salts. Nicotine pouches like zyns sell the most at 6mg and above. Dispensaries and street weed have enough THC that would put a hippie in the 70's in a psychotic break.
God bless that Gen Z doesn't drink or smoke cigarettes. But they vape nicotine and marijuana. Or use pouches / edibles.
If we don't prevent first time users from getting an intense nicotine head high or accustomed to weed 5 to 10 times stronger than what their parents were used to, then I really don't see the point of excise taxes. It should be about preventing first-time use, and giving off-ramps to these potent products.