Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Cigarettes for kids

Because you know they will anyway
  (+5, -35)(+5, -35)(+5, -35)
(+5, -35)
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Before I actually explain this I would like to point out that I am not advocating smoking, not to people of any age, nor have I ever smoked myself. Sadly - a lot of under-aged people smoke, and I don't see that it will be possible to stop this any time soon, so cigarettes for children may turn out to be a good idea. These cigarettes would come in a variety of colours and flavours, and contain very little in the way of nicotine and the more harmful of chemicals. The smoke from these cigarettes will then have few ill effects if inhaled - but the chances will be lowered still by a large filter, designed to filter the air so much as to almost purify it. The secret to these cigarettes preventing smoking, is that they will be marketed exclusively to people under the age of 16. Smokers of the kids cigarettes will become acclimatised to the nice taste and smell of the cigarettes that the transition from them to normal cigarettes will come as a large shock. The foul smell, and (I'm assuming) taste of normal cigarettes will be enough to put them off smoking for good. Shops will be informed that it will be illegal to sell kids cigarettes to people over the age of 16, or to young children suspected of having to buy these cigarettes for adults.
fridge duck, Jan 19 2005

Exporting the Epidemic http://web.idrc.ca/..._mirro_229_0.nl.jpg
This is sorta baked. Same effort - but with creepy players, and greedy goals. [JungFrankenstein, Jan 20 2005]

Much better... B&H Advent Calendar
(<humble> In my opinion </humble>) [theleopard, Sep 13 2007]

[link]






       If you've never smoked, then let me let you in on a little secret. We know they taste like crap. The fixation is both chemical and mental. If you are seriouly advocating this idea then I'd have you look at some of the documentation on the formation of habits and life trends in the very young.
photojunkie, Jan 19 2005
  

       I thought the point was to stop teenagers from smoking 'bad' cigarettes in the first place? That way they'll never develop the dependancy.
pooduck, Jan 19 2005
  

       The point of them is more in the fact that the sudden change from nice taste to bad is that it would stop them from smoking. As most harmful chemicals would be removed from them I was rather hoping that this would reduce the actual addiction.
fridge duck, Jan 19 2005
  

       They do make smokes that are as nice as smoke can. I made the transition quite easily. I doubt anyone starts sucking in burning because it tastes good.   

       It's a nice thought, but I don't want to know what kind of shape I'd be in if I had started smoking when I was 12.
tiromancer, Jan 19 2005
  

       Kids are smart. Rip a filter in half and a light becomes a regular, I thought everyone learned that in 8th grade behind the cafeteria.
Blumster, Jan 19 2005
  

       The main reason I started smoking, was to "fit in". At that time smoking wasn't a big ordeal (the 1970's). But I think that nowadays the reason for youngsters to smoke are still the same: Fitting in, being 'bad' or plain and simple defying your parents, so I think you are right in saying that it cannot be prevented.   

       How cigarettes taste is a personal view. I personnaly like the taste (photojunkie). I would quit the moment they stop selling my brand and I know this because I have found myself in some situations where there were cigarettes available but not the ones I smoke, and I didn't want A cigarette, I just wanted 'MY' cigarette (brand).   

       I'm in favour of this idea based on the assumption that if you make it available then it will take away the 'badass' incentive.
Susan, Jan 19 2005
  

       Although I personally find the anti-smoking media campaign tiresome, I think it's doing a good job. Plenty of kids, and even the younger adults, adamantly refuse to smoke because of the health risk. Even the most enthusiastic smokers I know recognize that it is bad for them. Most of them won’t smoke around children, or at least find doing so uncomfortable.   

       While I agree that kiddie cigarettes would cut down on the “I’m a badass ‘cause I smoke” image, I don’t think it could do so without undermining a much more significant and responsible motive to abstain. Parents and adult smoker would feel less guilt about smoking “real” cigarettes around children.   

       I doubt you can make anything that burns particularly healthy, anyway. They may be less chemically addictive, but force of habit is often enough. Finally, I don’t think you can prevent kids from buying cigarettes for adults (or worse, older teens) any more effectively than you can prevent adults from buying cigarettes for kids.
tiromancer, Jan 19 2005
  

       //I don’t think it could do so without undermining a much more significant and responsible motive to abstain. Parents and adult smoker would feel less guilt about smoking “real” cigarettes around children.//   

       1st: What would be the motive then?   

       2nd: if they thought about it logically they would consider: // I doubt you can make anything that burns particularly healthy//.   

       I don't want people to smoke around my 4 weeks old daughter. Nore do I want to burn incense when she is in the same room, or for her to be in the room when there is cooking going on. I think you are right in saying that anything that burns would be unhealthy for young lungs. What I don't see is how the cigarettes in this idea would make people think smoking (around children) is less bad.   

       3d: //I don’t think you can prevent kids from buying cigarettes for adults (or worse, older teens)// there is a law here (the Netherlands) that states that children under the age of 16 are banned from buying cigaretts. The excuse "But i'm buying it for my mother" is a no go.   

       Personally we (my husband and me) believe in reverse psycology. From time to time we are going to say "in my days we used to (insert undesirable habbit) all of the time" hoping she will do the opposite, knowing that children have a need to oppose their parrents.
Susan, Jan 19 2005
  

       Here, you must be 18 or older to buy cigarettes, without exception, by law. Despite this, those children who wish to smoke don't seem to find it difficult. Kids find cashiers who don't ID, kids get fake IDs, kids get cigarettes from an older friend or relative.   

       I do think -- and granted this is just speculation on my part -- that the law does have an effect. Once you are over the legal age, you are constantly getting carded when you buy cigarettes. It can easily go on into your fourties.   

       This constantly reminds adult smokers that cigarettes and children do not go together. Most stores will not even carry the fake candy cigarettes any more. Every time and adult buys a pack, then sees a child smoke, he/she thinks "that''s not supposed to happen." If kids could peer over the counter and buy a pack of their own, this image would dissapear.
tiromancer, Jan 19 2005
  

       You might just end up with a generation hooked on the fake cigarettes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
wagster, Jan 19 2005
  

       Congratulations on inventing training cigarettes! Perhaps they should come with slightly low alcohol alcopops and cocaine sherbert dip? <a child friendly bone.
etherman, Jan 19 2005
  

       "Not So Fast!, Nick O'Teen!"
gnomethang, Jan 19 2005
  

       By the look of it, I'm in a minority, but I believe that this idea has good potential. The way modern society treats smoking is that it is a bad thing until you are 16 (or other age limit) at which point it becomes perfectly alright. By getting rid of this barrier not only do you take away the aspect of rebellion but, from the point of view of a child, there would be no difference between their perfectly healthy cigarettes and grown up ones. Then the sudden change in taste when they try normal cigarettes, which most people will do at some point or other, would cause them to believe that their tastes have changed and stop smoking altogether.
hidden truths, Feb 07 2005
  

       <pedant> wouldn't this be better suited in the   

       health: smoking: alternative cigarette category? </pedant>
hidden truths, Apr 06 2005
  

       I would really hope someone was joking when this was written
tatmkr, Jun 23 2006
  

       Sure, why not. Why only let the adults do bad things? This also goes for drinking alcoholic beverages, and doing drugs, etc.
BJS, Jun 24 2006
  

       Sorry mate, we've been gaining access to the smokes for years; you probably haven't realised that.   

       No, I don't smoke anything, never have, never will.   

       Whenever I'm offered something of the smoking/illegal/downright stupid sort to say that I'm 'trying to cut down'. Works like a charm and I don't get dissed for not taking some.
froglet, Jun 24 2006
  

       This doesn't have a cat's chance in hell of working. Kids who smoked the 'safe' fags would be ridiculed by all others for the half measure; the bad kids would call them pussies for not smoking the proper ones and the sensible kids would call them twats for smoking pointless crap. Lose/Lose. -
stilgar, Nov 26 2006
  

       //Shops will be informed that it will be illegal to sell kids cigarettes to people over the age of 16.//   

       Unless the buyer is already a smoker of adult cigs. Otherwise, you're making it illegal for him to choose the safer cig.
bnip, Sep 12 2007
  

       eliminating smoking is simple. Raise the legal age of smoking by a year each year.
marklar, Sep 12 2007
  

       dumb   

       bone
nomocrow, Sep 13 2007
  

       damnit [crow]   

       Thats what I was going to say.   

       Oh well, here you go [duck]:   

       DUMB [-]   

       Good intentioned, but really dumb
evilpenguin, Sep 13 2007
  

       //dumb bone//   

       another word for the brain.
k_sra, Sep 13 2007
  

       In my defence, I was 17 when I wrote this idea.   

       That's all I've got.
fridge duck, Sep 13 2007
  

       that's ok, [fridge duck], we all write some of those, at every age. : )
k_sra, Sep 13 2007
  

       hhhmmm could it be more along the line of…. Make it legal and in fact totally fine socially for kids to smoke, therefore making it less exciting and removing the street cred. that makes it strangely attractive for younger people to start. Same kind of reverse psychology your mum used when you wanted to do something you weren’t allowed to?
strayllama, Sep 14 2007
  

       lets raise a generation of children with the habit of smoking well-engrained! We don't have to leave it at that though. Training tatoos, complete with light pin pricks! My First High book! Paint cans for little hands! How to Trash a Store: a tutorial for Daddies little boy! Practice condoms! they come with a copy of a hard core porn mag! but its okay! 'cause its kinda censored! bone, bone, bone, bone BONE
Voice, Sep 02 2008
  

       A classic example of an idea that shouldn't of made it _onto_ the drawing board, little lone, _off_ the drawing board...   

       but hell, I can't blame ya, it's a good idea in thoery, in some ways, sorta [-]
xxobot, Sep 04 2008
  
      
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