I get the intent behind hiding tobacco products, especially for kids. But as an adult, walking into a store with no menu, no prices, and no visible options feels unnecessarily awkward.
You’re expected to already know exactly what you want. If you’re trying to switch to a lower nicotine or tar option, you don’t really have a way to compare or even know what’s available anymore.
As an adult, should you actually have the right to see what legal products are available before buying them?
Consider it the last bastion against your stupidity.
I don’t smoke my wife does and her lungs are terrible.
Ah, ok then. All good.
An adult should be able to overcome these hurdles.
Yes all addicts should be able to overcome their addictions.
an addict does not need a menu to shop around for smokes
If you’re quitting by tapering off your nicotine intake, it helps to know the nicotine content of what you’re smoking. Vape juice has this info; but you can’t see it from behind the counter and the cashiers don’t fucking know off-hand.
then you ask, they check and tell you
I did and the answer is I don’t know. They don’t even print the tar and nicotine levels on the package anymore.
Then displaying prominently and/or allow free access to the public (like they do with snacks) will not help anyway so no need to do that
At the end of the day, if you are serious about quitting, you’d talk to your doctor and get on a plan that includes a gum or patch… switching to a lighter brand is just fooling yourself
She has tried laser (pretty sure it is a rip), patches and pills (bad dreams). She likes smoking so this is the only thing I can think of and it is impossible to do it now.
lmao, I mean that an addict can do things such as: ask the clerk what the price is or look up photos online.
Essentially you’ll have to ask someone who smokes for their opinion.
If you’re trying to switch to a lower nicotine or tar option, you don’t really have a way to compare or even know what’s available anymore.
Most people that look to quit smoking typically don’t change brand, instead they cut back or switch to an alternative like vaping, patches or gum.
As an adult, should you actually have the right to see what legal products are available before buying them?
No, I don’t think knowing what tobacco products a store carries should be a right. If you’re not sure, you can just ask the person behind the counter. They’ll tell you.
Most smokers I know buy the same brand every time and have never switched.
Non Canadian chiming in out of boredom on a toilet. So feel free to ignore anything said, totally understand.
But, yeah, being able to see what you’re buying should be a consumer right.
However, unless they refuse to show you products, it’s only extra hoops to jump through, not a total block to comparison shopping. Think of it more like having to have a clerk get the razors out of the case for you just so you can read the back. It’s annoying to everyone involved, but clear communication helps reduce that.
There’s other products that you can’t fully examine without an intermediary. Perfumes and colognes, jewelry, firearms, even cars. Yeah, you can visually confirm that what you’re buying is that thing, but you can’t take a test drive, or just spritz yourself or whatever.
While I agree that the reasoning behind it (out of sight, out of mind) is of limited efficacy, and that it’s a hassle, I don’t think it would infringe on consumer rights. You can still ask to be shown prices and packages to compare. It’s just a major shift in culture that’ll take adapting to for both staff and customers.
When I’ve had to shop for razor heads in places where they stay locked up, I just straight up tell whoever it is that I’m comparing brands, and ask how we can make that as low stress as possible. The responses vary, but it’s pretty universal that they appreciate the respect shown for their time and energy. Tobacco shouldn’t be any different in that respect.
Sounds like a them problem.
the overwhelming majority of people just buy whatever they started with or the cheapest they can get…anyone “serious” about tobacco use just buys leaf and rolls their own, cigs are fucking disgusting with all their extra chemicals (there’s killing yourself and then there’s killing yourself)
The guy behind the counter can show you others, the internet can show you everything.
Love how every reply so far is condescending. It was a valid question and none of you had an answer.
Internet has more info than what’s on the packet alone.
Imagine going into a restaurant and not being able to see the food or read a menu. How do you know what to research. Do you just pray the restaurant has the specific food item you like?
Just to throw this out there a lot of us that smoke are ADD or ADHD I’m not saying it’s healthy but a lot of us self medicate with a blend of nicotine, THC and caffeine rather than be on meth derivatives.
Actually a lot of new restaurants don’t have menu, they have a QR code on the table and you use your phone to review. And before going to a restaurant I check google reviews, they have the website menu as well as pictures of the meals taken by patrons.
The point of purchase is not the place to do your health research, because that gets back to advertising issues.
Some days I feel like Lemmy is full of incel antinatalists thinking they’re gonna live forever because they don’t drink or smoke. Gonna go search up the druggie communities for some good content.
Only some days?
