I Smell Smoke

Dave Price, who the Liter likes, had this story on WHO HD.

It's Your Money: Lawmakers Disagree on Whether Iowa Taxpayers Should Pay to Help Smokers Quit Their Habit

Price related the story of Charles Abell, a long-time smoker, who became hooked at the age of 11.

Abell utilized the taxpayer funded Quitline to quit smoking with Chantix, $150 a pack, provided to him at no cost.

Abell wasn't able to afford that cost, but had no trouble burning through 5 packs of smokes per day at $7 per pack.

I'm no mathematician, and the scientific community is united in that fact, but Abell screwed himself and taxpayers.

Chantrix is taken, at the most, twice per day and comes in a pack of 56 tablets for a cost of $150 (actually less) which would last 28 days.

Abell said he smoked 5 packs per day at a cost of $7 per pack for a 28 day total of $980.

In most people a bell would go off to ring in the savings of $830, but Abell's thoughts were too clouded and now more tax dollars have gone up in smoke.