Do smokers cost society money?

Ya know, I'm getting sick of the talk of 'lost productivity' of smokers. I don't miss work hardly ever, and usually less often that non-smoking co-workers. I don't take more or longer breaks either. I am rarely ill, even though I don't bother with a flu shot like others. I'd really like to know what sort of workers they used for these kind of studies.

 

At the accounting office I worked at, when they went non smoking, there were major differences in smoker vs non smoker.

The smokers were taking as many as 2 breaks every hour for a cigarette.
The non smokers were only allowed a 15 minute break in the morning and the afternoon. Most of the smokers also took the 15 minute break as well. It should be noted that the vice president of the company was a heavy smoker.

As far as being off sick, I did not really note whether the smoker or the non smoker missed more.

 

with what us smokers pay in taxes at the federal and state level the country makes money off us smokers i would be willing to bet.

 

WELL i can speak for what they do in an office i drive a truck and have been for 45 plus years and ive smoked longer then that , i own my on trucks and authority and when its time to roll i roll, dont catch colds , dont take flu shots , dont miss work because of illness,i think the biggest cause of cancer is the american medical ###.
my entire family died from cancer no one left but me , they went to church three times a week and none of them smoked or drank for that matter, me i drink on occasion, i got to bars once in awhile i ride motorcycles i was pretty much the black sheep of the family cause i was wild and bad , and i drove a nasty old truck BUT IM STILL HERE AND I SMOKE and i aint gonna quit #### the goverment and all THE GOOD PEOPLE that say i should ill just stay in the hammer lane and smoke my cigerett.
YALL HAVE A GREAT DAY AND LIGHT ONE UP FOR ME . SOUTHERNPRIDE

 

they can use any sort of worker they want, its anti smoking. they can make people believe smoking causes anything, as long as they make up some numbers and get someone w/ an official sounding title to back it...

what gets me is, they demonise smoking but they raised taxes on all tobaco produts april 1st to help fund SCHIP (free healthcare for kids). if they keep raising taxes it will backfire on them and people WILL stop somking, and therefore less money coming in...

 

you can make 80% of statistics say what you want90% of the time.

 

http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/wm1714.cfm

The recent tax increase on ciggys is just the government FORCING people who smoke to pay for those who sit on thier butts and don't provide for their children, it also takes our money and spends it on health care for children who are NOT entitled to it. WHY????
Guess to some OBAMA IS REALLY ROBIN HOOD......steal from the rich (add new taxes without any citizens approval/vote) and give to whatever group he thinks should get the money this week

 

I thought that was 'you can make 92% of statistics say what you want 99% of the time?'

Statistics don't mean a thing to me. I just get very sick of hearing all this junk all the time. There is a major history of heart attacks in my family on my mom's side. Guess what? My eating habits are completely different than most of the rest of my family, and so far, no issues.

 

The thing that bugs me the most is how they blame smokers for all this crap but it's been a proven fact that obese people are more costly.

That may have changed as of lately and I have nothing agains overweight people by any means.