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They don't apply very effectively to big pharma, do they?

Big pharma is allowed to run ads b/c they aren't advertising recreational drugs which is different from cigarettes and the proposed recreational drugs we are discussing.

Those ads about erectile dysfunction seem pretty recreational to me.

The idea that smoking cigarettes is a form of recreation seems comical to me. But then, as a non-smoking Australian... Have you seen our cigarette packaging?

Hey, try it, you'll like it ;)

I smoked hand-rolled Sobranie Turkish/Virginia blend when I could afford it, and whatever I could afford, otherwise. For about 20 years.

Nicotine isn't exactly recreational, but it does take the edge off that "too much coffee" feeling. Especially if you've been working more than several hours. And it does sharpen the mind, sort of orthogonal to caffeine. I've had some profound insights after coffee and a cigarette.

On the other hand, there's the fact that quitting is very hard. Harder than opiates. Harder than benzodiazepines. And the long-term health effects, of course, are horrible.

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