iblog

Like many others I really can’t wait for the smoking ban in public places. More controversially however, I really wish smoking was banned full stop. I hate to go all nanny-state on smokers, and I know there are a lot of complex issues involved, but there really is something very strange about still being able to buy killer cigarettes which have even recently been shown to have the same effects on the brain as more serious illegal drugs such as cocaine. There is an incredible irony in the way warning stickers are plastered over cigarette boxes (so much so that you can barely the see box), and so many products are being sold (nicotine patches etc.) which try and get you to stop smoking. And yet cigarettes are being sold like groceries everywhere without anyone batting an eyelid.

The benefits of an outright ban seem undeniable: reduce the temptation and you’ll reduce the addiction, reduce the number of cigarettes and you’ll reduce the number of cigarette-related deaths. It seems perfect to me. But I guess I’m failing to understand the wonderful privileged position of those smokers who would not give it up for the world.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 24th, 2007 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Lifestyle, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.