An Irish MEP has called for a total ban on tobacco products across the European Union within 15 years. Read article here
However, surely before considering a law to ban the sale of cigarettes we would have to ensure that alcohol is banned. Alcohol is responsible for causing harm not only to the individual consuming that drug but also to those who come in contact with the individual (to a far greater degree than passive smoking). How many road traffic accidents come as a consequence of smoking? Alcohol is guilty of creating problems within the home and poses problems for society as a whole. I do not think that the same can be said of cigarettes.
I am in favour of a ban on neither. Responsible adults should be afforded the opportunity to make responsible decisions provided that the appropriate information is available and they are informed of such. Moderation is the key. No person can claim that they do not know the health risks that are associated with smoking. Gone is the day where people could claim ignorance.
What we need to do is to continue to educate the population about the dangers of using cigarettes and ensure that this is done from an early age. Furthermore, a responsibility lies with parents to try to prevent their children from taking up smoking. To deal with the addiction problems associated the government needs to provide appropriate funding for programmes through the Department of Health. It is important that we continue to reduce the numbers of those smoking.
But to engage in this significant hypocrisy when certain other socially accepted drugs are causing far more damage is truly cynical.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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8 comments:
I am against banning smoking or alcohol altogether. Making it illegal makes those substances far more attractive for youth and the use would be out of control, because it will go 'underground'. I think you are right on the education and information, that is a big key to preventing smoking and alcohol misuse. Additionally, I think the parents should be a non-smoking role model for their children: if the parents smoke, that will be the standard for the children. In the end, I think smoking will be done less and less if you leave it the situation the way it is now, and it will be more popular if it is banned.
The thing is, were we to take a liberal view on all drugs we make them safer and can educate against them. Further to this is the tax revenue created by selling harder drugs. The reason so many paeople die from ecstacy and heroin is because they are buying knock off product. Should the government choose to produce these then they can ensure that the consumer is recieving a quality safe product. But before we look at banning or legalising drugs society needs to look at why drugs are taken, the social issues behind drugs and anti-social behaviour need to be addressed before bans can be put in place.
You know? Banning tobaco isnt much of a bad idea. There must be some competence were the commission could do this.
A very foolish proposal. It would turn ordinary people who are the victims of an addiction into criminals and make millionaires out of real criminals. Plus it would lose the state money in tax while costing money in enforcement. The current policy of education, restriction and taxation is the best one.
I think it would be better if people didn't smoke but I don't like the idea of the government trying to control everything that we do. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health and if you smoke it's your choice. I like the new laws about smoking in bars and restaurants as this is stopping a lot of the passive smoking but I don't think there should be a complete ban.
Probably a bad idea to ban cigarettes but I don't think that the current taxes and education are doing much to stop people smoking. We have made a lot of drugs illegal so maybe it is a good idea but because there are so many 'addicts' in the population it would probably be near impossible to bring about.
The poll results in relation to a smoking ban (after 41 votes) are very much in line with the sentiment shown from those leaving comments so far, with 73% of respondents opposed to such a ban.
The following argument was put to the UKs top criminal judge in order to protect children from being enticed into tobacco addiction via actors smoking: For the full transcript go to www.ActorsSmokingFilmsTV.blogspot.com
JUDICIAL REVIEW PROCEEDINGS: High Court (Royal Courts of Justice. The Strand London) CO/8239/2006 THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL (DEFENDANT) 1 February 2007
SIR IGOR JUDGE: Mr Holmes, good morning. Thank you for coming. We have read your papers and we now would like to invite you to address us. 2. THE APPLICANT: In terms of weight of harm, this is probably the most important case that has ever been brought to these courts. It concerns the premeditated killing of one billion people this century via tobacco addiction, and the intentional enticement of children into that addiction. The root cause of this holocaust is political corruption, corporate crime and the enticement of children into addiction via tobacco advertising and promotion. 3. Actors smoking in films are the most potent form of promoting cigarette addiction, according to the 72 scientific papers in the bundle...
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