They are adults..., get over it. They can do as they choose. Go ahead and tax the daylights out of it and when the income stream from cigarette taxes is gone because no one smokes, then where are you going to get the money for your social programs for ? Who will you rape then ? you are idiots...LOL, LOL, LOL

I have been smoking since 1976 and quit last week not for health reasons but to avoid Dayton's new taxes on smoking. If all the smokers quit who what will be the next groups targeted for oppression and taxation?

For some problems, we put more money toward the poor suffering souls. For others, we take more money from the poor suffering souls. Some people we believe choose to have their problems, other people we believe have no choice. We pick winners. We pick losers. The point is: we pick.

Tax em right into quitting. Perfect plan. ;-)

You mean to tell me that all of the government imposed cigarette taxes and education haven't curtailed smoking? For God's sake, what we need now is an all out ban. Or at least background checks and mental health evaluations on those attempting to purchase tobacco. Strong leadership is needed here. Perhaps Gov. Dayton or Pres. Soetoro should step in with executive orders to bring this under control.

If all of us lived in a closet then perhaps we would all live to be 110? Then whom would pay for all of that for nursing care and medicine? People will do what they want to do. And oh boy, the anti-smokers do love to get the smoking money, um? No complaint then, um? And most people weigh too much and they should avoid cheese and booze and fatty steaks too? We do not need a nanny state telling us what we can or cannot do. Just leave us alone.

"ciaman - If all of us lived in a closet then perhaps we would all live to be 110? Then whom would pay for all of that for nursing care and medicine?... We do not need a nanny state telling us what we can or cannot do. Just leave us alone." -- Not all people that live longer cost more. My grandma is 96 and still living in her own house, taking care of herself. She isn't on any medications or in for anything other than a yearly checkup. Now on your other point, I'm all for that, let us do what we want, but I also want the insurance evaluated that way. Stop calling morbid obesity a disability and someone that can't pass a basic physical pays more for their health insurance than those of us with no health issues.

One of the main reasons why health-care costs are so sky high is due to the fact that we continue to have many 'high health risk' Americans who smoke, eat high caloric/saturated foods, etc. So Smokers & Fast-Food eaters, be aware that your unhealthy habits are causing HEALTHY Americans to FORK OUT MORE for their health-insurance.

"what will be the next groups targeted for oppression and taxation" ...............OMG!!!! The tyranny of it all!!!! Didn't anyone see the 2.8 BILLION yearly price tag of smoking related illness? Anything that offsets that is a good thing.

So who's going to pay the tax burden when there are no more smokers?