I would give these 10 stars if I could. They are the reason i was able to quit smoking in November 2002, and they are the reason I never backslid, because I could have one of these instead of a regular nicotine cigarette.

They are not as tasty as my menthol Virginia Slims, or my Misty menthols, or even the generic menthols I was smoking at the end because cigarettes had gone up so high, but they approximate smoking well enough, and taste enough like menthols, that I was not only able to quit with no nicotine withdrawal (because I switched to these a month before I quit), but also I always had my pack of Honeyrose around after I quit in case I felt the urge for a smoke. That urge dissipated over time. I haven’t smoked one of these in a couple of years, but I still have a pack in my freezer just in case.

I didn’t follow the Honeyrose advice specifically. I just stopped the nicotine cold turkey and switched to these. The habit was really more compelling to me than the nicotine addiction, so the act of smoking overcame whatever withdrawal symptoms I had. Then I quit smoking the herbals. I did it out of town, out of the country even, while staying with a friend in Montreal, not around smokers, and it went OK. I’d say, &#34 I want a cigarette,&#34 he’d say, &#34 You’re missing the point,&#34 and that would be that.

I smoked these on and off for years after I quit, sometimes just one or two, sometimes a bunch if I was drinking. I always enjoyed smoking (which makes it really hard to quit in standard ways nicotine delivery systems really aren’t helpful for me, as I miss smoking ), so it was nice to have the option to have an occasional cigarette.

I still walk by smoking people and breathe in their smoke and enjoy it.Read more

Under 21? why you can’t buy cigarettes in nyc anymore

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Ten years after NYC banned puffing in public, Gotham s government has launched another attack on smoking. Yesterday the City Council passed a bill raising the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21 (from 18). The bill, which will take effect six months after Mayor Bloomberg signs it, also sets the minimum price for a pack of cigarettes at $10.50.

The law s goal is to prevent teenagers from developing dangerous habits that can last a lifetime, since recent research suggests 90 percent of smokers started before age 18. While smoking rates among New York City youth have fallen sharply throughout Bloomberg s time in office (from 17.6 percent in 2001 to 8.5 percent in 2007), the number of teens who smoke has stopped declining in recent years.

New York State residents already have the most expensive smoking habit in the nation, so it seems reasonable to assume raising the cost of cigarettes will discourage smoking among teenagers. But research on the subject is inconclusive, and it s unclear that pricier packs will have any impact on smoking rates among young New Yorkers.

Currently, New York is the first U.S. city to implement this type of legislation. Certain U.S. counties (including Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York) have already made it illegal to sell tobacco products to people under 19 or 21. But it will be interesting to see if other big cities follow New York s lead, and what kinds of consequences the law has on the college crowd in particular.

Do you think making it illegal for people under 21 to buy tobacco products will have any real impact? Weigh in below and let us know what you think of the new legislation.