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Comment by smcl | Hacker News Reader

I can highly recommend Georgia to visit, lovely place, friendly people, amazing food, amazing wine.

Unfortunately the cigarette smoking is out of control. If that kind of thing bothers you, skip the whole country.

That's changed a bit in recent years. No more smoking inside, but yeah, it's a tobacco loving place.

You know I count that as a plus. I can't possibly go back to smoking, but enjoy it when others smoke, enjoy second-hand smoke, am a smoker sympathizer, have romantic memories of smoking, sometimes feel closeness to women while they smoke.

But don't smoke myself. I also think cigarette companies--especially American and British--should develop minimally-addictive cigarettes, like with no cadmium, and actually clean out the radiation from radium, which they're capable of but didn't decide to do. Just more freedom in the cigarette, the choice of whether to smoke or not for every single item in the pack. More choice.

Georgia sounds perfect.

> minimally-addictive cigarettes, like with no cadmium, and actually clean out the radiation from radium

I'm rather confused what you're proposing here. The presence of cadmium has nothing to do with the addictive properties of cigarettes, which are largely mediated by nicotine.

As far as I'm aware, cigarettes do not generally contain any meaningful amount of radium.

No, cadmium is there, it's supposedly for getting it to stay lit longer. But it's there to be addictive too, it gives them the metallic flavor they have when you smoke one after a long abstinence. Like smoking a battery or some shit. That's the cadmium, battery metal by the way, and it is apparently a naturally addictive element.

There's cadmium there, yeah. But cadmium is not addictive, and is not a reason for cigarettes being addictive. Removing the cadmium will not make cigarettes less addictive.

Tobacco plants pull metals in from the soil, which includes cadmium, and radioisotopes of polonium and lead.

So while I was off cigarettes I would vape, then still craved cigarettes. But I was getting all this nicotine, right? Then I smoked one, as planned, one per season while quitting, which changes the self-talk from "I can never smoke again" to "I gotta hold out for Autumn." Then I smoke it, it's so metallic. Incredible. I personally craved the metal, and in particular I did find a study rats preferred some dosage of something with cadmium in it.

Yeah I think the main health concern with cigarettes (other than nicotine) is tar, and I'm not sure how possible it is to make a cigarette without that

Nah. Arsenic is also on the package. I've read it.

Fat-ass chunk of the table of elements, honestly. Yeah polonium like someone else said...I think. Radium for sure. Like the tobacco plants have these weird sticky hairs that suck in radioactive elements, suck in poison.

And they could filter all those poisons out. But they don't. Although like I said before, it's the only legal form of suicide. Shrinks can say nothing against it. That gives the toxicity legitimacy.

Second this! Went there sking some years back, one of the most remarkable and amazing places I have been. Resort of Gudauri offers amazing skiing, with the possible do some short hikes to do some world class offpist runs. Transitioned to other side of the country to Mestia, equal amazing skiing but even more amazing place.

Me and some friends are planning a skiing trip for winter and were considering Italy, Slovakia and Austria (or just going somewhere in Czech Rep). I never thought to consider Georgia, though! Thanks for the tip, just checking it now :D

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