"I have a theory that one of the reasons we have not yet ...

"I have a theory that one of the reasons we have not yet banned nicotine outright in this country is that it is the cheapest treatment for anxiety that we have, in the sense that majority of the people suffering from the mental issues that are somewhat soothed by nicotine will pay for the drug without any kind of government or employer subsidy, and if we actually got rid of cigarettes the true cost of treating everyone who doesn’t even know that they’re smoking to be less sad would maybe break the country."

Alex Balk