re: Dividend stocks and DRIPs as a long term investment vehicle

They've raised taxes on cigarettes for years. That's why smoking rates have declined dramatically and profits continue to go up. The addicts will always pay, not too many products out there can say that. We can raise taxes drastically still. A tin of skoal is $5 in the US, it's $20 in canada mostly taxes.....the government knows this and we will get there eventually

Mock me all you want, but for the last 30+ years smoking rates have been on the decline in america, yet investors in altria retuned nearly 50,000%, nothing matched that return in that time frame.

addicts will always pay, just remember that. I see it on a daily basis running between my stores. Poor people who can't even pay rent find a way to pay $70 for a carton of newport while they earn $300/week. It's fascinating, they find a way to buy it. I wish altria owned newport but thats a lorillard brand, but it's the brand of choice amongst the poor. How funny is that, the poorest people love the most expensive menthol cigarettes out there.Quite Ironic.