Surrender your man card here

[Roadgeekteen]

• I don't smoke.  Tobacco actually made me cough up blood the two times I tried it.  The whole thing about smoking looking manly has been on the way out for decades, though, thankfully.

I've never smoked anything, ever.  I get the impression that, outside the conservative Christian circles I run in, that's pretty unusual.

Only about 14% of the US population identifies as cigarette smokers. It sure seemed like a lot more than that when I worked at the casino. I've never smoked tobacco.

I think tobacco smokers tend to under-report, since there's been such a massive stigma against them for decades, and there are still social smokers that mostly don't identify as smokers. Vaping and marijuana have also supplanted a lot of what would have been cigarette smokers in the younger generation, though not entirely.

I don't run into smokers that much.

[hbelkins]

I've never smoked anything, either, and have no plans to. Never had any desire to.

Regarding drug testing, if pot is being used medicinally, wouldn't there be therapeutic limits set? CDL holders can have therapeutic amounts of controlled substances in their blood if they have a prescription for it. If they get popped for a certain substance, all they have to do is provide proof of the prescription and there are no more issues. (Much like if you get cited for no proof of insurance, but you actually do have insurance and don't have  your card with you, all you have to do is present your valid card and the charge goes away.)

I always thought vaping was intended to be a tobacco alternative, as either a substitute for cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system, or as an aide to weaning smokers off their habit. I was shocked to find out there are actually people who vape who have never smoked. Why would you take up vaping otherwise?

The decline of tobacco use has really impacted the local economy. Even small, rural counties in the mountains and foothills of Kentucky produced decent tobacco crops back in the day. Lots of new vehicles were sold in this area in October and November when the tobacco crop went to market. Now, it's rare to find a tobacco patch in a level field in a creek or river valley. I was a bit surprised to see a couple of big tobacco fields along US 150 in Boyle County on Saturday. I hadn't seen a tobacco growing farm in years.

[J N Winkler]

Regarding drug testing, if pot is being used medicinally, wouldn't there be therapeutic limits set? CDL holders can have therapeutic amounts of controlled substances in their blood if they have a prescription for it. If they get popped for a certain substance, all they have to do is provide proof of the prescription and there are no more issues. (Much like if you get cited for no proof of insurance, but you actually do have insurance and don't have  your card with you, all you have to do is present your valid card and the charge goes away.)

I think that applies only to drugs that are legal with a prescription, which marijuana is not (at the federal level).

Regarding proof of insurance, the cautious assumption has to be that law enforcement in a given jurisdiction has two separate ways to get you:  (1) failure to have insurance, and (2) failure to show proof of insurance when asked.



I've personally never smoked, even socially, but this is largely as a result of growing up in a household where both parents smoked, although not heavily (my father was a pipe smoker while my mother smoked roughly half a pack a day).  Former smokers and nonsmokers who have grown up or lived long-term in smoking households (like my paternal grandmother--she never smoked, but my grandfather did so very heavily, dying of lung cancer at age 59) tend to be more sensitive to, and far less tolerant of, secondhand smoke than people who have never smoked.

[Roadgeekteen]

I don't smoke and I have no desire to start.

[1995hoo]

I don't smoke and I would feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I did. When I was a little kid, my dad smoked. My brother and I hated it and we eventually badgered him into quitting sometime in either the late 1970s or early 1980s.

[formulanone]

I don't think there's too many people who suggest smoking is somehow "manly" in the last couple of decades.

[tolbs17]

Unless you are in West Virginia.

[Roadgeekteen]

Unless you are in West Virginia.

Why West Virginia?

[tolbs17]

Unless you are in West Virginia.

Why West Virginia?

Because there's a lot of smokers there.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't smoke and I would feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I did. When I was a little kid, my dad smoked. My brother and I hated it and we eventually badgered him into quitting sometime in either the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Similar here, except my dad never quit.  I do smoke cigars occasionally (maybe 1 or 2 a year) as well as things that are legal here but not in other states, but I still have yet to smoke a cigarette.

Chris

[Duke87]

Regarding drug testing, if pot is being used medicinally, wouldn't there be therapeutic limits set? CDL holders can have therapeutic amounts of controlled substances in their blood if they have a prescription for it. If they get popped for a certain substance, all they have to do is provide proof of the prescription and there are no more issues. (Much like if you get cited for no proof of insurance, but you actually do have insurance and don't have  your card with you, all you have to do is present your valid card and the charge goes away.)

I think that applies only to drugs that are legal with a prescription, which marijuana is not (at the federal level).

Indeed - cannabis is a schedule I controlled substance under federal law, which means as far as the federal government is concerned it is completely illegal for all purposes. Prescriptions can only legally exist for schedule II-V controlled substances, though yes these classes do include quite a few drugs better known for recreational use (e.g. amphetamine and cocaine are both schedule II).

For this reason, doctors are not able to prescribe cannabis the way they would normally prescribe a drug. Instead, generally the way it works is that the state establishes by statute a list of conditions for which sales for medical use are permitted, and a doctor signs a form confirming that the patient has one or more of the conditions on that list.

But since interstate trucking is federally regulated, truckers are subject to federal law and cannot use cannabis for medical purposes even if their state of residence permits it.

I always thought vaping was intended to be a tobacco alternative, as either a substitute for cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system, or as an aide to weaning smokers off their habit. I was shocked to find out there are actually people who vape who have never smoked. Why would you take up vaping otherwise?

Because it's trendy and cigarettes are passé.

[Max Rockatansky]

Regarding drug testing, if pot is being used medicinally, wouldn't there be therapeutic limits set? CDL holders can have therapeutic amounts of controlled substances in their blood if they have a prescription for it. If they get popped for a certain substance, all they have to do is provide proof of the prescription and there are no more issues. (Much like if you get cited for no proof of insurance, but you actually do have insurance and don't have  your card with you, all you have to do is present your valid card and the charge goes away.)

I think that applies only to drugs that are legal with a prescription, which marijuana is not (at the federal level).

Indeed - cannabis is a schedule I controlled substance under federal law, which means as far as the federal government is concerned it is completely illegal for all purposes. Prescriptions can only legally exist for schedule II-V controlled substances, though yes these classes do include quite a few drugs better known for recreational use (e.g. amphetamine and cocaine are both schedule II).

For this reason, doctors are not able to prescribe cannabis the way they would normally prescribe a drug. Instead, generally the way it works is that the state establishes by statute a list of conditions for which sales for medical use are permitted, and a doctor signs a form confirming that the patient has one or more of the conditions on that list.

But since interstate trucking is federally regulated, truckers are subject to federal law and cannot use cannabis for medical purposes even if their state of residence permits it.

I always thought vaping was intended to be a tobacco alternative, as either a substitute for cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system, or as an aide to weaning smokers off their habit. I was shocked to find out there are actually people who vape who have never smoked. Why would you take up vaping otherwise?

Because it's trendy and cigarettes are passé.

Hence what I said regarding our office and our stance on cannabis.  Even though we are a Federal employer someone would have to high at work to get flagged for a drug screen.  Given I work in California I would suspect a large number of people in our employee base are consuming cannabis products.  What goes on outside of work isn't my business, what goes at work is. 

[Rothman]

Unless you are in West Virginia.

Why West Virginia?

Because there's a lot of smokers there.

Speaking from ignorance, are we?

[tolbs17]

Unless you are in West Virginia.

Why West Virginia?

Because there's a lot of smokers there.

Speaking from ignorance, are we?

No?

[Roadgeekteen]

Don't know the exact stats, but it wouldn't surprise me if West Virginia was a heavy smoker state.

[dlsterner]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

[Roadgeekteen]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

Not surprised- old, poor states.

[Max Rockatansky]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

Not surprised- old, poor states.

There is a ton to do in West Virginia as a resident besides smoke and drink.  Really it probably is the last state to feel like it is still in a blue collar/rust belt free for all economically. 

[Roadgeekteen]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

Not surprised- old, poor states.

There is a ton to do in West Virginia as a resident besides smoke and drink.  Really it probably is the last state to feel like it is still in a blue collar/rust belt free for all economically.

There is a ton to do if you like outdoor activities, if you don't there isn't much.

[Max Rockatansky]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

Not surprised- old, poor states.

There is a ton to do in West Virginia as a resident besides smoke and drink.  Really it probably is the last state to feel like it is still in a blue collar/rust belt free for all economically.

There is a ton to do if you like outdoor activities, if you don't there isn't much.

Hence why I emphasized "residents."   I got a lot of family in West Virginia, a lot of the aren't enthralled about exploring their home state.  It's not too dissimilar to how Michigan was in the late 1990a. 

[Big John]

John Denver liked WV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo

[Roadgeekteen]

If you don't know the answer to something, Google can be your friend

A 15 second search found this link:     https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/smoking-rates-by-state

And yes, West Virginia has the highest percentage of smokers, followed closely by Kentucky.

Lowest percentage of smokers ... Utah.   I suspect due to the large Mormon population.

Not surprised- old, poor states.

There is a ton to do in West Virginia as a resident besides smoke and drink.  Really it probably is the last state to feel like it is still in a blue collar/rust belt free for all economically.

There is a ton to do if you like outdoor activities, if you don't there isn't much.

Hence why I emphasized "residents."   I got a lot of family in West Virginia, a lot of the aren't enthralled about exploring their home state.  It's not too dissimilar to how Michigan was in the late 1990a.

I think you meant "Isn't".

[formulanone]

My point was that most folks aren't going to bully you into making a terrible lifelong decision like smoking, where as many other "man card items" are usually collectively supported...working with tools, watching sports, read a map, drink beer...et cetera. These are typical examples; to wit, I'm not massively into sports anymore and don't drink much in the way of beer (see my post). Maybe a bit more in tobacco-growing area, but not once have been asked "why don't you smoke?" from lots of visits along that area of the country.

Only a teenager is going to convince another kid to smoke or vape, because it seems cool to them, and they don't want to appear to be the only one doing it.

[kphoger]

I don't think there's too many people who suggest smoking is somehow "manly" in the last couple of decades.

most folks aren't going to bully you into making a terrible lifelong decision like smoking

That wasn't my point.

My point is that I think it's fairly rare for a man to have never smoked anything at all–not even once.  To wit, I think I can count on one h and the number of others on here who have said they never have either.

For the record, I would consider smoking a pipe–primarily because I know it takes a bit of effort to maintain a pipe and keep the smoke going, and I'd therefore be less likely to smoke it all the time.  But I think cigarette smoke smells absolutely disgusting and I have no idea why anyone would want to stick one of those in his mouth.

[kphoger]

I've joked for years that they should legalize marijuana and outlaw tobacco...  Just because of the smell.