Two 14 year old boys asked me to buy a pack of cigarettes for them.

I say good for you! I would have done the same thing.

Although, in today's world I would be very fearful I was being set up by the government and they would try to ruin my life over buying minors a coupla packs of smokes.

The anti-smoking agenda is one of the biggest, money-making conspiracies on this planet right now and you rarely even see that being brought up on this site.

I despise the current culture of what society has become in this way. Smoking is no big deal and should be treated like it was 40 years ago.

The lies of secondhand smoke being harmful are bought by the masses and everybody just bows to the majority b.s. laid out by the antis, the corporations and the special interest groups. For our society to allow smokers to be forced outside of workplaces, public areas, bars, restaurants and entire college campuses should be a horror that people rise against to fight and yet, people would rather condemn smoking because they don't like the smell and it makes their eyes water.

Part of the reason I don't want to be a part of this world anymore is because our society has become an intolerant place with a serious lack of fun in favor of being uptight and PC.

Buying those boys smokes was simply being friendly and helpful. Don't accept the condemnation you're seeing in this thread and everywhere else. We should be fighting strongly against this mass insanity.

www.forbes.com...

www.breitbart.com...

www.smokingaloud.com...

a reply to: zatara

I would have refused because they are ....

Under age and...

Cigarette smoking causes all sorts of health problems; and it is too expensive.

We teach by example...and you taught those 14 year old boys...that it is ok to break the law... smoke cigarettes... and eventually ruin their health.

The same people who would agree helping the kids get the smokes would also get on their high horse about 'law and order' in the USA. Oh 'the rule of law' is our top priority. Give me a break. Tired of hearing it.

a reply to: gottaknow

Thank you for your support. I have read all the replies so far and I do not taste bad standing towards me because of this thread. All people so far gave a respectful response to my honest account of what happened today... and I didn't expect any different from my fellow ATS members.

What I am afraid of is false moral and hypocrisy. Pretending to be reputable in forums and backing the general opinion while in private being the greatest sinner.. of sorts.

Of course smoking is bad for anyones health but you were spot on saying I did it for being friendly and helping them out.... But as I said before... buying them smokes is one thing, buying them hard liquor is an other. Some one mentioned guns... this person must be a little unstable thinking buying smokes for teenagers is the same as buying them guns.

About the government and the use of tabacco.... Here in The Netherlands iit is pretty much the same as in the US, I think. At a certain moment in time a campain was launched to condemn smokers and the smoke ventilating from them. While the government knows it is one of the hardest if not the hardest addiction to kick...the government increase the tax on tabacco in a absurd way. It uses this legitimate witch hunt on tabacco users and their addiction for generating a generous tax income of which the end is somewhere beyond the horizon. Non smokers are conditioned in such a way that they fully back the government with this way of attacking the use of tabacco. Why not use the same technique for batteling the 'abuse' and addiction of alcohol... That subject is an other thread.

originally posted by: Bovah
I would have bought it for them, but I would have driven them to a different store to make sure it wasn't a setup, and I would have doubled the price of the pack for my own gain.

Lol, be careful.

You just invited two minors in to your car to drive them somewhere and "buy cigarettes"

Take care out there man, and think #### though!

Like wow!

i was joking about jacking their money and calling them bastards.
i would not have purchased for them.

when i was younger, under age i had people buy me smokes and i thought they were super cool for doing it.
it was a terrible habit that was hard for me to kick...

now i have kids so i see everything differently

having said that, if i would have somehow seen you buy my kids smokes or known about it, i would have tuned you up without even thinking about it...

the decision to buy smokes for my under age child is not up to you.....

25 years ago though, i hoped to come across people like you cause i needed smokes.
as a parent today, i would have lit you up

a reply to: Grovit

Now I do question if your first reply was a joke or not...

But, keeping on topic... Yes smoking is not very good for ones health.

originally posted by: zatara

Now I do question if your first reply was a joke or not...

:

i said it was a joke...
im not their daddy and i am not there to counsel them on the hazards of smoking.

i would have probably just said no and kept on walking.
or not said anything.

usually, when i am out and about if people say something to me i dont even acknowledge them...just keep on going...
so, that would be the most likely response from me....no response at all

a reply to: zatara

I've got no problem with what you did - it's their choice.

Personally I wouldn't have, but only because I would have assumed I was being set up. I go buy the smokes and hand them over and a cop walks around the corner and tickets me for $1,000 or something.

If I somehow knew it wasn't a set up, yeah, I'd buy them smokes.

The only thing I have had bought for me by adults when I was an adolescent was gentleman's magazines. The product inside was way more addictive than cigarettes.

Best time i remember was that there was two 14 or so aged kids outside my parents shop and as i was going in to help out theres two kids asked me if i'd get them 10 fags, now they offered me a fiver (at the time it was about the value of 20 fags) and was seriously tempted to take it from them for the lulz but i decided to be honest and tell them who i was and there was no chance anyones going to be selling any 10's anytime soon......the poor kids faces

nope I wouldn`t have done it


I started smoking when I was 14, back then we could buy them from a vending machine at the corner gas station for 50 cents a pack.

I`ve been smoking for 40 years, I`ve tried to quit many times but it`s just too hard so I sure the heck don`t want to help kids get hooked.

a reply to: zatara I think you made a mistake in helping those teens. You contributed to there possible health problems. I can bet their parents did not know their teens are smoking, either. I would have told them NO.

a reply to: zatara

If their parents had wanted them to smoke .... they would have had

no need to tout strangers to buy them smokes. You have colluded

with them enabling them to deceive their parents.

reply to nerbot

LOL!! LOL!! Well amused .... would have given you a whole

row of the old laughing emo. if we still had them....

I smoked from the age of fifteen up until recently, but never once asked someone to purchase them on my behalf.

I think the only sensible thing to do would be to refuse their request, no aiding and abetting their passage into nicotine dependency. It might have been cool for us to do it, but I seriously regret the day I even considered starting.

a reply to: gottaknow

Although, in today's world I would be very fearful I was being set up by the government and they would try to ruin my life over buying minors a coupla packs of smokes.

In todays world I'd be more concerned that the children were asking a nonce to buy them cigarettes.....imagine how one of them would exploit such a situation given half a chance?

The anti-smoking agenda is one of the biggest, money-making conspiracies on this planet right now and you rarely even see that being brought up on this site.

Money making conspiracies?
Surely the conspiracy would be if the government were ignoring all scientific and medical evidence and were doing absolutely nothing about the horrific number deaths that are definitely as a direct result of smoking.
Major cigarette manufacturers used to have enormous influence.

There is an anti-smoking agenda simply because smoking kills lots of people.

As I said in my previous posts - I've smoked for 40 years now.....I can't think of one single positive about the habit.

I despise the current culture of what society has become in this way. Smoking is no big deal and should be treated like it was 40 years ago.

I despise the nanny state with a passion....but they've got it right on this one.
Should be treat like 40 years ago - why?
Why should other people have to breathe in the noxious fumes produced as a result of my filthy habit?
Why should other peoples clothes stink just because I want to have a smoke whenever and wherever I want?
How selfish an attitude is that?

For our society to allow smokers to be forced outside of workplaces, public areas, bars, restaurants and entire college campuses should be a horror that people rise against to fight and yet, people would rather condemn smoking because they don't like the smell and it makes their eyes water.

I agree, they've gone too far.
There should be designated smoking areas inside bars, public places etc - a carte blanche ban is completely out of order....but smoking should not be encouraged in any way shape or form.

Part of the reason I don't want to be a part of this world anymore.......

There's an easy remedy to that situation.

.......is because our society has become an intolerant place with a serious lack of fun in favor of being uptight and PC.

I assure you, I'm the least uptight or PC individual you could possibly meet and I have more than my fair share of 'serious fun' despite my advancing years.
Thing is, I'd probably be able to carry on doing so if it wasn't for my continued smoking habit that is kicking the crap out of me far more than any of my other 'indulgences'.

Buying those boys smokes was simply being friendly and helpful.

Buying those boys smokes despite probably being well intentioned could have led them into a really serious and dangerous scenario or situation and could also have helped them develop a habit that may shorten their lives by years / decades.

Don't accept the condemnation you're seeing in this thread and everywhere else.

No-ones condemning the OP - he did what he did and that's entirely up to him.
Neither I or anyone else has the right to judge or condemn anyone.
But he asked for other opinions and what other people would do...and that's what people have done, offered their opinion.

a reply to: zatara
Personally, I wouldn't have done it.

The reason I say that is b/c if it were my child out there asking strangers to buy them smokes, I would hope they would say no to my child.

When my children become old enough to buy them for themselves, I can't stop them as it's their choice.

If they want to smoke as grown adults, so be it.

I would never enable someone else's child.

No judging upon you for your decision, I just wouldn't do it.

a reply to: zatara

I would have said NO. Mainly because their are NARC units who hire underage kids to go ask strangers to buy them alcohol or Nicotine products then bust them. But also because i'm a Nicotine addict, and wish i could stop and that i had never started. So i would do nothing to aid them to go down the same road i did.

originally posted by: skalla

originally posted by: Bovah
I would have bought it for them, but I would have driven them to a different store to make sure it wasn't a setup, and I would have doubled the price of the pack for my own gain.

Lol, be careful.

You just invited two minors in to your car to drive them somewhere and "buy cigarettes"

Take care out there man, and think #### though!

Like wow!

uh what's your point? I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself.

a reply to: Bovah

My point is that some folk may think that you are "taking care" of two minors so to speak, but it's your life dude and if you think it's worth it to get a few ciggies from some under-age kids then, uh, ok

If some stranger invited my kids into their car?

yeah........