Headlines
The Review Online
Dog it out
15th March 2010
The government announced on Monday that it plans to cut the number of smokers by half by the year 2020. Currently, just over one-in-five people aged 16 and over smoke, this compares to 46% of the population in 1975 and 35% in 1985.
Proposed measures include removing branding from cigarette packets and banning cigarette vending machines in pubs, as will happen in Scotland from next year. The government strategy also aims to stop young people from taking up smoking in the first place by cracking down on duty free imports brought into the country. There will also be a review of smoking legislation which could see smoking in doorways and beer gardens outlawed. The smoking pressure group, Forest, called the proposals “an erosion of people’s ability to make lifestyle choices.” Conversely, the health charity Ash, welcomed the proposals, but wanted stronger and more detailed pledges.
Whilst it does seem like an idea with good intention, it is also important not to ride roughshod over civil liberties. Over the past decade, the UK has seen a colossal increase in red tape that has arguably limited the rights of the individual to make commonsense judgements. It is unlikely that anyone in today’s Britain is under the illusion that smoking does not adversely affect one’s health, but plenty of people continue to do it and in support of freedom and liberty, they should still be allowed to do so. Personally, I would advise people strongly to never start smoking and there are clearly some very severe health risks that come in a packet of twenty Marlboro, or any other brand for that matter. My argument is that we should get the balance right between leaving smokers to their own devices and threatening to bludgeon them to death with a seven feet high Nicorette constume.