Why are smoking rates so much higher in conservative areas? (illegal, drug)
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The reddest of the red states. States that make the most common red states people think of like Texas and Georgia not look all that bad. States like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama have a significantly higher smoking rate than most of the rest of the country. For some reason it's very high in Ohio as well and while its a red state and trending redder, it's still more purple than anything else. It's an outlier though because in general the more conservative a place is, the higher the smoking rate will be (though less will smoke marijuana). Conservative states have been among the last to implement public smoking bans and a few states like Oklahoma still allow smoking in bars/restaurants. Meanwhile, legal recreational marijuana is still decades from being a possibility in the Bible Belt.
Why do you think this is? Why is tobacco looked on as an acceptable vice by conservatives while other things that society as a whole is warming to (like marijuana) is considered evil and unacceptable?
Conservatives are less moralistic about "for your own good" and "think of the children issues" but are more moralistic about "Christian values", "supporting the troops", "being patriotic", "law and order", etc.
Who are the likely smokers? Middle age American Indian or Mixed Race who are either dropouts or have a GED from the South and Midwest. Don't think that's really a conservative base based on demographics and past voting patterns so they're likely non-voters or Democrats living in red states.
The reddest of the red states. States that make the most common red states people think of like Texas and Georgia not look all that bad. States like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama have a significantly higher smoking rate than most of the rest of the country. For some reason it's very high in Ohio as well and while its a red state and trending redder, it's still more purple than anything else. It's an outlier though because in general the more conservative a place is, the higher the smoking rate will be (though less will smoke marijuana). Conservative states have been among the last to implement public smoking bans and a few states like Oklahoma still allow smoking in bars/restaurants. Meanwhile, legal recreational marijuana is still decades from being a possibility in the Bible Belt.
Why do you think this is? Why is tobacco looked on as an acceptable vice by conservatives while other things that society as a whole is warming to (like marijuana) is considered evil and unacceptable?
not sure where you get your info from
hemp aka marijuana was made illegal by the liberals in 1937
I, like most constitutional conservatives support fully legal hemp, it seems to be the liberals who continue to call hemp a gateway drug (which its not)
Having lived in Kentucky for about 20 years I would say the smokers are generally people who have given up and don't give a rat's a** about their health.
The reddest of the red states. States that make the most common red states people think of like Texas and Georgia not look all that bad. States like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama have a significantly higher smoking rate than most of the rest of the country. For some reason it's very high in Ohio as well and while its a red state and trending redder, it's still more purple than anything else. It's an outlier though because in general the more conservative a place is, the higher the smoking rate will be (though less will smoke marijuana). Conservative states have been among the last to implement public smoking bans and a few states like Oklahoma still allow smoking in bars/restaurants. Meanwhile, legal recreational marijuana is still decades from being a possibility in the Bible Belt.
Why do you think this is? Why is tobacco looked on as an acceptable vice by conservatives while other things that society as a whole is warming to (like marijuana) is considered evil and unacceptable?
Tobacco smoking IS an addiction just like opioids or gambling.
The root of all addictions is addictive thinking. Alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, etc are just different manifestations of the problem.
I encourage you to read up on addictive thinking. Then, study the region's history and society.
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