My Snus Days May Be Over

[harpdog]

Re: My Snus Days May Be Over

I smoked pipes and cigars for 20 years. I swithched to snus for several reasons, health, cost and protection from anti-smoking campaigns. I find it hard to believe, but my employer is about to enact a policy, effective January 1, 2010, that bans the use of all tobacco. I'm not talking about a ban in the workplace, I'm talking about a total ban, such that I cannot use tobacco at home. If I want to continue using tobacco i have to pay a costly surcharge on my healthcare premiums. Never imagined that the ant-smoking movement would reach smokeless tobacco. Anyone else dealing with this?

A friend of mine who is a pipe smoker has life insurance and they don't consider him as a smoker as he smokes a pipe. they consider it low risk. This of course is the UK but we have just as much of a Nanny state that the US is getting right now I wonder how long it will be before this changes.

[Snusdog]

TBD wrote

There is no such thing as free. Somebody always pays, and it's usually the last guy in the chain.

Check and mate

[MasterGuns]

I work at a pharmacy, and snus while I'm there, no one is the wiser. In fact, coworkers commented on what a better mood I'm in at work these days :wink:
So if Kroger tried that crap with testing, I'd have plenty of warm bladders to piss in my cup for me.
But really the bottom line is CHOICE and if the government can't dictate your choice in the matter (though they're doin their damnedest) neither should an employer. And if they do, they need to be fair about it. If you're not going to have nicotine users, you shouldn't allow fatties, drinkers, sexual deviants, people who have visited Africa, motorcycle riders, or people who live on a flood plain to work for you without charging them as well, as these are all things which could statistically lead to your untimely demise sooner than someone who sits in a bubble all day.
And as for Obama, I'm going to put a fridge/freezer in my closet right next to my SKS and long-bore .270 rifle, since that's the only place that stuff will be safe from him and his change.

[snupy]

It's called lifestyle discrimination..

[tom502]

I think it's crazy, this is not a free country at all. I would say I didn't smoke, or use tobacco, if asked.

[Badfish74]

Hold on just a damn minute. ctimb200 you and Badfish get your asses back up here

LMAO!! I saw this going the way of other threads, and didn't want to end up hurting any feelings!

I'm glad you showed that southern common sense! It's so true that $25 a month isn't huge, but $1200 a year is! And how much will it go up next year, and the next year, and the next year....

Amen to TBD on "free" health care. Maybe some of our Canadian members will chime in about how "wonderful" that is.

Anyway I just don't like to see people making light of someone else's problems. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, Cigator posted this thread to vent and get some support. MOST of the folks that posted seem to understand that!! 8)

[Lucky Striker]

Hold on just a damn minute. ctimb200 you and Badfish get your asses back up here

LMAO!! I saw this going the way of other threads, and didn't want to end up hurting any feelings!

I'm glad you showed that southern common sense! It's so true that $25 a month isn't huge, but $1200 a year is! And how much will it go up next year, and the next year, and the next year....

Amen to TBD on "free" health care. Maybe some of our Canadian members will chime in about how "wonderful" that is.

Anyway I just don't like to see people making light of someone else's problems. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, Cigator posted this thread to vent and get some support. MOST of the folks that posted seem to understand that!! 8)

I understand wanting to vent, but geeze, this guys says he has to quit snusing in order to afford the extra health care. It's not like he's going to lose his job over it. I wasn't making light of it at all. I'm just wondering where you guys have been for the last twenty years when insurance companies started charging higher premiums for tobacco users. This is nothing new, and if it takes this guy's provider that long to catch up to the rest of the industry, then he should feel happy that he got over as long as he did. Seriously, you didn't know that you have to pay more insurance because you use tobacco? I find that hard to believe. Get out from under the rock guys, this has been the way all major insurance providers have done it for decades. You guys are acting like "OMG! My state says that you have to have insurance on the vehicle you're driving! WTF!"

I'm just looking at it from the point of view of a guy who makes a lot less money than a typical government employee and has to pay for his own health insurance because his employer doesn't offer it. 300.00 a month for shitty insurance on top of a shitty wages in a shitty right to work state, and I'm supposed to break out the violin because somebody has to quit snusing because his discounted group plan goes up an astounding 100.00 a month? I'll trade places with that guy any ****ing day.

I'm sure there's some African tribesman somewhere thinking about how great I have it compared to his own situation, so it all depends on how you see the world. All I'm saying is count your blessings, because no matter how bad you think you have it, it's really not that bad in the grand scheme of things. 25.00 a week extra on top of what you're paying is I'm sure, still less than what I'm paying for coverage that probably can't touch yours. I choose my luxuries, and snus is one of them. If you choose something else over snus, that's fine. More power to you.

Like I said, I have more pressing things to offer sympathy and condolences over. :cry:

[Badfish74]

I am truely sorry Lucky Striker!

I didn't realize that this was one of those "you think YOU have it bad" threads.

You are correct...there is always someone that is worse off than you are. And damn if they don't always let you know about it too!! 8)

[Lucky Striker]

You are correct...there is always someone that is worse off than you are. And damn if they don't always let you know about it too!! 8)

Well, not most African tribesman. Most of them don't have internet yet.

[TropicalBob]

Just ... get used to it. It's coming to a place of employment near you, soon.

The practice is spreading where I live, and the college where my wife works is about to go tobacco-free (not smoke-free, but tobacco free). For an employer, it does result in insurance savings. And an employer has the right to impose broad requirements on those working for him/her. A case testing the tobacco-free ban has already been through Florida courts -- and the ban was upheld. It's legal. Any employer can impose it, and enforce it.

The testing is for cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine that will show up in bodily fluids. Random urine testing is done. And employees must swear in writing that they do not use tobacco in any form. A quitting smoker has three months to be continine-free -- or be fired. NRT is not meant for long-term use and that won't be allowed.

I'd flunk, of course, even though I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost two years. As for paying more, I'm surprised you weren't already. I paid through the nose to my last employer because I was a smoker then. Today, that company bans tobacco use.

[Snusdog]

Lucky,

I hear you and I was not taking issue with anything you said. My wife and I already pay a tobacco penalty on our insurance and have for a while.

I think my frustration is the constant tendency to lump snus in with cigs (or even dip). It’s not true. It steers people away from a safer alternative. It ends up costing the Tax payers countless dollars (as people continue to use more dangerous forms of tobacco driving health care up). And it is completely unfounded. All the while we have no voice to make our case. The conclusion and socially acceptable stance are already determined.

I know this is nothing new and has been a trend for a while but the trend seems to be expanding its reach every day (c.f. the pact act). I'm just frustrated man. That’s all.

As far as the African Bushmen go: their women don’t wear shirts - OF COURSE THEY DON”T NEED THE INTERNET!!! WHO WOULD???

LoL mate nothing but love your way

[beja]

I've been lucky as I've always had health and life insurance as part of a group plan through my various employers and have never had to fill out a questionaire regarding my use of tobacco. I'm sure that soon enough it will become commonplace.

[Lucky Striker]

Snusdog: I didn't take issue with anything you said, and I agree with you 100%. I hate that we all get lumped in with smokers even though snus has been proven time and again to be pretty much harmless. My last post was directed more to Badfish who I think was under the impression that I somehow didn't understand the plight of the OP.

[Snusdog]

Now you see what happened. Badfish was minding his own business and I drug him back into this post. And now his ass is all in trouble.

hahahaaa

This is also exactly why all my friends who are married now have curfews

[Badfish74]

I have no problem with Lucky or what he said. It was more the manner in which it was said.

I just felt the "boo ****ing hoo" comment was a little uncalled for!

Damn you and your bad influence Snusdog! 8)