This morning at the gas station I was behind a woman in line who was purchasing cigarettes. She asked for1 pack and the clerk rang them up and handed them to her. I glanced over at the total on the register and it was almost $10. I almost fell on the floor – $10!

I don’t smoke and I don’t ever notice the prices for cigarette’s or anything related to smoking and while I was aware of taxes being raised on them from time to time, I can honestly say I didn’t realize the price per pack was almost $10.

Besides being shocked, I was also a little sad for this woman – she was young and attractive and she just plunked down a small fortune for something that will likely kill her or at least cause adverse health issues over time. I felt sad because it was so crazy to watch her pay that much for those cigarette’s but she did it anyway, and so do lots of other people, every day. I felt sad because of the grip those cigarette’s have on her. I know smokers say they like it and all that, but there must be many who are addicted and can’t stop and are thus forced to pay through the nose to feed their habit.

To be clear – I like taxing the living snot out of cigarette’s – it’s a terrible habit with known side effects ranging from annoying to horrible, ask anyone who has had a loved one die from emphysema how they feel about smoking. It’s a horrible way to die and a horrible thing to watch. 

I don’t know why this stuck me as sad, or why it even caught my attention, but it did. I’ll admit that I have a unhealthy interest in diet Mountain Dew, but it’s become more of a treat than a habit over the years and it likely won’t kill me or cause any horrible health problems.

I can’t imagine plopping down $10 to get a fix – I’m sure quitting is not pleasant either. Given all that we know about smoking it’s hard to understand why people keep doing it, especially those that are young and should know better by now. Whatever the case it still seems sad to see someone who is a slave to a very expensive and deadly habit.