No, it was 2009, right before I went to Spain. Law went into effect that 'flavored' cigarettes were to no longer be sold in stores. Even though menthol cigarettes were in the same 'flavored' category as cloves, the Altrea Group (the largest tobacco conglomerate in the world, who also just so happened to write the tobacco law I may add) said that those who smoke menthol cigarettes would no longer be able to smoke, if they didn't have access to menthol cigarettes. (Which, is dumb, because about 70% of the clove smokers I know, can only smoke cloves...) Back in um... 2005? Yeah, 2005, there was a lotta bad press on bidis, which are not cigars nor are the cigarettes, they're really just a little tobacco leaf that's been dried and rolled, with a plug of cotton for a filter. They were easy to purchase for teens, and also flavored 'wildly' in candy flavors. Not only that, but many of the countries producing bidis were quote un-quote 'known' to work with anti-Western groups, funding them and such. Some of it was true, some of it wasn't.... I did a big massive report in uni on various stuff about this sorta thing. One of my observations, was that smokers (not that I'm advocatin' smokin', cuz boy howdy its the worst thing you can do to your body there is, that's legal) tend to be more social. As in they tend to congregate together, and have an easier time striking up conversations, by the nature of how they are isolated from the rest of the groups. Like walking around campuses and towns, there were innumerable people just looking down at the ground and walking briskly to wherever they were goin' and if they were talkin' at all, it was lots of grunted sounds like 'yeah, uhhuh' on their cell phones. While the smokers were discussing politics, religion, history, classes, friendships, families etc etc. But man? Really? 4-5$ in the 80's? You were gettin' ripped off! Back in um... 99 when I started smokin' they were 1.90 a pack...
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Back in um... 2005? Yeah, 2005, there was a lotta bad press on bidis, which are not cigars nor are the cigarettes, they're really just a little tobacco leaf that's been dried and rolled, with a plug of cotton for a filter. They were easy to purchase for teens, and also flavored 'wildly' in candy flavors. Not only that, but many of the countries producing bidis were quote un-quote 'known' to work with anti-Western groups, funding them and such. Some of it was true, some of it wasn't.... I did a big massive report in uni on various stuff about this sorta thing.
One of my observations, was that smokers (not that I'm advocatin' smokin', cuz boy howdy its the worst thing you can do to your body there is, that's legal) tend to be more social. As in they tend to congregate together, and have an easier time striking up conversations, by the nature of how they are isolated from the rest of the groups. Like walking around campuses and towns, there were innumerable people just looking down at the ground and walking briskly to wherever they were goin' and if they were talkin' at all, it was lots of grunted sounds like 'yeah, uhhuh' on their cell phones. While the smokers were discussing politics, religion, history, classes, friendships, families etc etc.
But man? Really? 4-5$ in the 80's? You were gettin' ripped off! Back in um... 99 when I started smokin' they were 1.90 a pack...