What do you think?

How would the government make money if the whole US quit smoking? Would they loose money or save money on healthcare costs?
Answers:
It's not supposed to be a question of money, although it undoubtedly is. It's supposed to be a question of good health, not only for the smoker, but for the people choking on a cloud of smoke.

Take it from an old smoker, a veteran of many years of huffing and puffing, who has tried many times to quit, and has failed. I am the female equivalent of Mark Twain, who said it was easy to quit smoking because he had done it a thousand times. But I am still trying.

Actually, these money-making solutions to the problem are probably causing more harm than good. The diehard smoker who can't seem to quit is driven by high prices to cheaper brands of tobacco, thus endangering his health and the health of others even more.

Smoking is an addiction and, like any other addiction, is very difficult to conquer. There are all sorts of chemicals out there to help the smoker quit, but they do not as yet attack the urge to have that nagging puff. I know people who smoked while wearing the Patch, who continue the habit despite chewing chemical gum guaranteed to help. Perhaps Rehab facilities should be built for smokers, locking them away from society for as long as it takes.

Smoking causes many diseases and health conditions, the most prevalent being lung cancer. Only five percent of those afflicted survive lung cancer and it is a long painful death. Usually, the government has to pick up the costs of these lengthy illnesses. This is where the savings comes in if smokers would all quit the habit.

If I had any advice for others, it would be to stop smoking while you are young. It's easier to do it then and you will have a lifetime of better health before you. If you wait until you are older, that habit is like a monkey clinging to your back. You know you smell like a tobacco barn and you try your best, but old habits are the hardest to push away.

---

We would be better off w/o it. I quite smoking 11 years ago and I sure don't miss it--not a bit!