What would happen if Americans stopped smoking?

Switch to the other hand?

 

It's good you have lots of cans around then

 

These kinds of adjustments take time.
If you put American tobacco out of business, of course there would be an immediate negative impact.

Tens of thousands of those out of work would be hired in other fields in the current economic environment?
The loss of sales tax, income tax, corporate tax would be covered immediately by the savings realized?

Putting an end to American tobacco would have a negative economic effect. In normal to good times, it's weatherable. Conditions will correct themselves. People young enough to do so will retrain and go into other jobs. State and federal programs tied to tobacco-tax funding will go away or be given other revenue streams. The 20 percent of American spending money on tobacco will reintroduce that money into the economy.
Things correct themselves over time.

In the current economic condition, there's not a lot of wiggle room.

 

This is EXACTLY what I do. Except that it is a Diet Pepsi can.

 

That would seem like cheating.

 

No, I do it. I'm not going to get my ashtray dirty, come on now.

 

Another side effect is people will live longer and bankrupt Social Security faster.

 

Why not? The economy, at last check (though admittedly it looked poised to turn on a dime) was still growing.

There's always an excuse for why short-term hits can't be undertaken for long-term gains. We can't afford it right now. Why break up the good times later?

I think the adjustment would come pretty fast. Cigarettes are a consumable product that people spend a ton on every day. It'd be like an instant stimulus program to the economy, except we don't have to borrow money to do it.

 

If Americans stopped smoking, soft drinks laden with high fructose corn syrup would become public health enemy #1. Special taxes on these drinks would sail through Congress and state houses.

 

So they fuck me on cigarettes, or they fuck me on Pepsi?

Goddammit, why can't I just kill myself with tobacco and carbonated happiness without getting overtaxed????

 

Because when you start to die, you're going to cost the rest of us several hundred thousand dollars, or so the theory goes.

 

Nah, I'm not going out naturally.