From the World Health Organisation Tobacco Free Initiative (click image for link to this years theme: Tobacco-Free Youth) "World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world every year on 31 May""Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in the world. It is the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it... ...with its victims dying on average 15 years prematurely."
Some steps are already being taken: the BBC reports today that cigarette vending machines and packets of 10 may be outlawed under new plans aimed at preventing children and young people smoking - the UK government doing something right; The Independent (amongst others) reports that ciggies could soon come in just plain white boxes i.e. no attractive packaging."This year, tobacco will kill more than five million people - more than tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined."
...and by coincidence, earlier this week much of the foreign press had reports (Breitbart.com) that the British government had clear early warning of the health risks of smoking - including a direct link to lung cancer - but decided against telling the public; they had a good reason of course: it would adversely effect tax revenue!...nice.
4 comments:
The idea that selling cigarettes 'under the counter' so that they will loose some of their mystique and make the buyer feel like some social pariah is not one of the Labour parties better ideas.
I was listening to a shop owner on Radio 4 today who was saying that he knows where each brand of cigarette is on his shelf without turning around, it means that he can keep an eye on the shop for would-be shoplifters. So he's in a no-win lose-lose situation, he can either move the cigarettes and lose the ability to watch for stock going walkies or he can invest in CCTV. And how exactly does that stop somebody smoking?
Yes, that part does seem starnge - imagine the displays where now 100 brands are displayed!
I do think the idea re removing machines etc is a good idea.
After hiding the smokes, they will say the same about alchohol(and I'd like to see them try to hide the large variety available in a similar way)it is a silly idea and all you can do is explain the dangers and leave it up to the person concerned to be responsible.
A lot of tax will be lost and no Government wants that.
We think the trouble over binge drinking and smoking is new but history proves things were as bad in our past.
As also was the risk of physical violence from muggings and weapons such as knives. I'm not saying it makes things right and we should accept it but it's not something new.
BTW we know if the tax is lost on these items, they'll look for another source of revenue...
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