• froop@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I remember reading (but not where, or how true it is) that tobacco use doesn’t impact the healthcare system much at all, because smokers tend to die younger, and old age is the most expensive and longest illness to treat.

    • voluble@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Interesting.

      I’m not an expert on the matter, but to my eyes, taxes on alcohol and tobacco are set arbitrarily. It would be nice to see those funds enveloped for specific programs & a layer of transparency on how the numbers are determined. Canada taxes spirits at ~$13/ litre of absolute alcohol. We ought to wonder - why exactly that number? Is that too much, or not enough, from a healthcare outcome standpoint?