In Reply to: maybe you posted by mackas on Friday, 29. December 2006 at 17:49 Bali Time:
that smokers pay in taxes is a mere drop in the ocean to the amount spent on treating the results of smoking. Thank God for October 1st 2007 in South Australia when smoking will be banned in Clubs, Hotels, Restuarants, cars with children in them etc. You don't deliberately sit in a room full of Carbon Monoxide, you don't sit in the middle of a busy road & tempt death so why inhale harmful chemicals into your lungs.
Smoking is the single greatest cause of death and disease in Australia. According to the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey [Australian Institute of Health and Welfare] tobacco use caused 19,000 deaths and 142,500 hospital episodes were attributed to tobacco smoking.
Around 700 deaths were caused by drink driving in 2003.