Did you know that authorities estimate "at least" 10% of all tobacco products sold in Australia are bootlegged? Pt. Uno

This is something I quote from an authority on this very subject.

I kid you not.

Consider this for a moment...'Tobacco' (or 'nicotine') is regulated under Federal Law in Australia. Unless you don't listen to the radio, watch TV, read magazines, newspapers or periodicals, see billboards, browse websites hosting ads (Disclaimer: Like this one...proceeds go towards 'green' generated power AKA Solar panels and accessories)...you will have noticed that "4,000 chemicals" are present in 'smoke' "

They (nicotine containing tobacco products) contain known carcinogens (cancer causing/aggravating matter) and you know...the sale is regulated from the sale in plan packaging (see HERE - April 10, 2011) to the specified places where it is deemed you can spark up a cancer stick cancer stick being slang for a tobacco cigarette, perhaps an Australian thing?

Oh and the Government earns revenue from the sale of these nasty death delivery systems (cigarettes) in the form of taxes)

Want to know something stupid about Steroid users, public medical supervised injecting clinics with rehab services, habitual/addicted intravenous/intramuscular needle users (or 'junkies')?

There's only 1 of these responsible injecting clinics available in Australia, and only a small segment of the targeted users are fully law abiding by making use of the facility (for possessing/transporting controlled substances like morphine, oxycontin painkiller pills, street heroin, methadone, that stuff they rob ambo's for, amphetamines, and cocaine...which are all injectable...oh and they want to patrol the surrounding area housing the clinic with *common* illicit drug detecting canines (DOGS!).

According to the experts (Zoo Weekly) a 'men's mag' with a broad range of readers which one would have to assume is targeted at the younger adult male population - In issue 343, Sept 24, 2012 "4 out of 5 (80%) of the time Australia police sniffer dog wrongly identify drug carriers" - Reckon they could detect steroids and the "pre and post workout" pills gym junkies pop? Or pharmaceutical painkilling drugs or stimulants? Or just the street drugs?

So poor criminal junkies get a record and can't get work, they need medical attention and instead get a cell and an addiction that turns them to a life of crime, lining the pockets of violent and manipulative criminal syndicates.

Makes a lot of sense don't it?

-Anon2012

How much does a cigarette weigh?

This is an experiment I did...I'd say coming up for nearly 2 years ago. Interested in the economics of rolling ones own cigarettes (tobacco is bad mmmkay?) I weighed a 'tailor made' cigarette as a whole (paper + filter) and then just the tobacco contained within.

Below are the pictures...as you can see the cigarette weighed 0.8g and the tobacco 0.7g - Now this is for a popular product on Australian shelves, it is the 'king size' cigarette. Assuming the cigarettes are consistent (quality control) there should be 14g of tobacco in a packet of 20 cigarettes just under half the amount contained in the smaller 30g tobacco pouches on the market. Prices vary so I can't really give a definitive answer to the cost but you have to factor in rolling papers and filters as well (unless you smoke from a pipe/unfiltered rolled cigarettes.

Of course it all comes down to preference - Smoking peers have told me they don't smoke as many if they roll their own as it's a hassle...whilst I personally think the tobacco that came out of pre-made cigarettes looked of a much lesser quality (oh look a legal threat from giant tobacco :P) than that in pouches.

Anyhow...Just something I found in my photo album and thought I'd share. Enjoy.