Taxing

In high school, when I was fifteen, I wanted to be friends with Angie H. and this other young woman whose name I no longer remember. In between classes, they would go into the fire escapes or out the back door of the school and smoke. The other young woman smoked camels. I don’t remember what Angie smoked. I went with them to talk sometimes, and I’d join them in a cigarette. I was 15 and pretty soon I was smoking Marlboro Reds (Boxed) in school, out of school, in the car, out the back door of work in the freezing cold where I was working as a dishwasher and my wet clothes would freeze solid, you get it.

I never really tried to quit – by that I mean I never went more than 24 hours without a cigarette for the next 13 years. I gave a half-hearted attempt a few times, but really, I didn’t want to stop smoking. I liked smoking.

Around the age of 27 I started thinking about smoking more. I worked for a woman who was dying of emphysema.  Every once in a while she’d ask when I was going to quit.

I’d also noticed that I got a little rush from nicotine – and it was producing anxiety. I would smoke and be uncomfortable for the next 5-10 minutes until it wore off. Smoking was no longer a guaranteed relaxation sport.

Then, at the age of 28, I was in Mexico and I got sick. Really sick. Really, really, really sick. I got so sick I didn’t want a cigarette. I remember sitting on the little porch of the hotel room and looking out over the mountains and smoking even though it was making me more nauseated if that was possible (because I was addicted and its pretty unpleasant after a few hours without nicotine) and thinking, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I quit, that was 8 years ago.

And ever since I quit I’ve been looking forward to the day when I can become one of those obnoxious, self-righteous people who declare, “That price is absurd! I smoked for years but I would never pay that for a cigarette!”

Yesterday I noticed cigarettes in a convenience store here for $5.52/pack. I was paying $32 or $33 bucks a carton (10 packs) when I quit. I was shocked. $5.52 is a LOT for cigarettes. Even accounting for the slight price break you get on a carton you’re talking over $150 a month for smokes. I considered my plan to be obnoxious and self-righteous but I couldn’t quite get there. Maybe you think, well, when costs go up, smoking goes down. That’s true. There’s a public health benefit to raising cigarette taxes.

I know smoking is a sin sport. It may annoy you in the few restaurants or bars that still allow it. I know its unpleasant to walk through a haze of cigarette smoke walking toward a public building. I find it annoying myself – except on the occasions when I still miss it. I know making laws against it protects general societal health and raising taxes helps a lot of things (in a way). But y’know, we’re just more controlling about it than I’m comfortable with. It’s all become just a little much.