UK bans sale of cigarettes to future generations.

[WhatInThe]

Sounds great but actually enforcing the law could drive a future generation into smoke tobacco and other stuff.

This also means more ID use and/or tracking.

 

[hollydolly]

What gets me is all the characters that smoke in movies. A lot of them are smoking in every single scene. WTF? Why do they feel the need to do that? People don't smoke that much any more in real life. I could see it if they're depicting a different time, like the '70s when a lot of people smoked, but they don't need to show smoking in every single scene. It's a disgusting habit. People complain about the violence in movies, but what about all the smoking, which kills more people than guns or car crashes combined?

I rarely ever see any smoking now in movies...but as well as movies..tv shows are just awful for showing people drinking alochol all the time...! It's diabolical. They walk in the door from work... pour a large spirit... they go into the kitchen..reward themselves with a glass or 2 of wine.. go into the bath, take a glass of wine or whisky... down to dinner.. more alcohol... just terrible... and then they go out driving to somewhere.. maybe a bar and drink..who the heck does that except alcoholics?

 

[Time Waits 4 No Man]

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AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR OTHER SPONSOR...

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[VaughanJB]

Yes anyone who is now 18 or younger can no longer buy tobacco products ....however I can't see how this can be workable in the future...
Imagine in 4 years time a 22 year old full beard..goes in to ask to buy cigarettes or vape.... are they going to ask him to show his ID to prove he wasn't born after 2009 ?..I don't think so...

Not so difficult. We are headed to a total ban. This is just another step. Ban these people, and by the time it truly matters, bring in more controls. This is a step along the way, that's all.

This caught my eye, not sure how I feel about it.

My wife has finally migrated to a vape. I hate to admit it, but pricing was the main reason. So I guess the taxation worked (eventually). It's a terrible habit, but I have never been able to get my wife to stop.

Nobody likes laws that protect the public health, like seat belts and wearing a helmet for motorcycle riders.

Amen. I will never understand people who refuse to wear a seat belt or crash helmet. Although their number reduces annually.

I understand the intent of the law but it just doesn’t seem right to me that you can be old enough to die in service to your country but you can’t choose to have a drink or a smoke.

Let me ask you this - if you could stop everyone dying while in service to their country, would you do it? That's the general idea.

Think of it this way - if you bang your head against a wall (smoking), eventually you'll get brain damaged or die. Is it a good move for governments to try and stop people banging their head against the wall?

It has always baffled me why people smoke.

It's difficult for me to deny that I grew up in an age where smoking wasn't seem are normal, and even cool. I mean movies, music, and commercials, all glorified smoking.

It has always baffled me why people drink alcohol and eat themselves into obesity.

Both are recognized problems, and both are subject to extensive legislation. In the case of obesity, not enough legislation!!

it's the same here..the tobacco tax is HUGE.

That would depend on your definition of huge. It's around £7bn a year right now. Sounds a lot. But it's 0.6% of tax income, which isn't very much at all. Health costs to the nation is estimated at £43bn. So yeah, the math ain't mathing. Besides, they also get tax from vaping.

 

[WOLF ANGEL]

The issue of smoking for me has been somewhat a curiousity of heart and head.

There was a time when smoking was actively encouraged and freely advertised.
It was only when the health issues and consequence emerged that the practice became tabboo - but by that time the 'older' generation were hooked on the feeling.

The hiking up taxes was a bit of buy-off to supplement the N.H.S. Health - though that does not seem to have helped.

The banning of buying cigarettes will not make a difference if the child is in the company of those who do - only for the action of being a customer will change.

I think that it was the banning of smoking killed both the pub trade and that of social interaction., but there is another aspect to consider that being the element of control,
- and I'm unsure how I feel about that.

 

[MarciKS]

Ok whatever....

 

[VaughanJB]

The issue of smoking for me has been somewhat a curiousity of heart and head.

There was a time when smoking was actively encouraged and freely advertised.
It was only when the health issues and consequence emerged that the practice became tabboo - but by that time the 'older' generation were hooked on the feeling.

The hiking up taxes was a bit of buy-off to supplement the N.H.S. Health - though that does not seem to have helped.

The banning of buying cigarettes will not make a difference if the child is in the company of those who do - only for the action of being a customer will change.

I think that it was the banning of smoking killed both the pub trade and that of social interaction., but there is another aspect to consider that being the element of control,
- and I'm unsure how I feel about that.

You touch on a couple of subjects.

I don't think it's a "feeling". As a non-smoker married to a smoker, I know pretty well that it's an ADDICTION. Nicotine is highly addictive, and it's very difficult to give up. A lot of people smoke due to their addiction (which, from a purely capitalist perspective, is a great thing!).

The pub trade? You know, I think people - especially those in the UK - very much under-estimate the impact of the death of the great British pub. The pub was, at one time, the great arbiter. People grew up going to their local pub. It was a center of the community. Act out, and everyone knew it. In fact - ultimately - you were brought into line with community standards through pubs.

The British pub brought people together, was a place where ideas were debated (argued) and ideas were shared. But what killed it was - you know - taxation. Successive governments taxes the hell out of alcohol, which had a knock on effect of killing pubs. Social drinking - drinking in groups at a neighborhood hub - was swapped for drinking at home, sometimes alone. Neighborhood governance (through example) gave way to what we have today.

The smoking ban had an effect, for sure. But I think it was taxation that truly killed the pub.

By the way - having lived extensively in both the UK and the US - there is no real pub culture in the US. Approximations? Perhaps. But no real pubs.