Thread by @AlexWodak

Absolutely right Brian! Damn glad U said these things. Now I’m from different school of thought from you about some things: eg I’m a higher taxes/bigger government guy. But smoking still is Australia’s biggest long term health problem. Oz smoking rates now only falling slowly
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https://twitter.com/BrianTaxpayers/status/1363770454935146500

Since 2013 Oz smoking rates only fallen 0.3% pa. US & UK, where #Vaping much more popular, rates fallen 3 x faster than Oz. Pro vapers main aim is to reduce deaths from smoking ASAP. Anti vapers main aim is to destroy Big Tobacco-by any way they can @doctorworkman
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But number Oz vapers now ⬆️ fast: 240K/2016; 520K/2019. And anti vapers have lost the debate. How can anyone defend keeping deadly cigarettes readily available but restricting safer alternatives? Can’t So here’s what anti vapers do: smear, throw mud, whisper to journalists
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Now I’m not naive about Big Tobacco. Reprehensible on stilts. But if BT continues to make squillions selling products which kill far fewer people, I’m very OK with that. I’ll happily work with other people who are OK with that even if I disagree with them about other things
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Debate in Australia re cigarettes ignores what’s happening to Big Tobacco companies. Remember: “it’s the economy stupid”. Well, BT operates on a profit margin of-wait for it-65%! But despite that, BT shares have roughly halved last 4-5 years. Read this rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2019/09/
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Why? Investors see what’s happening. They realise that BT is still making squillions now. But BT is being eaten alive by tobacco harm reduction products: viz vaping, heated tobacco products, snus etc. So investors desert BT & pour money into successor industry - THR.
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Please read idwala.co.uk/blog/unambiguo… Smoore now worlds #4 nicotine consumer product company. Valued at 35 x sales. RLX #5 & valued at 70 x sales. Neither make any cigarettes. Remind you of Tesla? Market cap > GM before making any profits! Berlin Wall collapsing slow motion!
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You can ignore small market forces for a while. But these are huge market forces! Anti vapers can smear pro vapers all they like. Best they can hope for is to delay the inevitable. Sadly, at cost of many lives. Mainly blue collar, unemployed, disadvantaged lives.
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