The only thing this will accomplish is creating a black market just like every other drug. Don’t get me wrong, it makes sense from a public health stand point and it will definitely save lives that were cut short from smoking related health conditions. But as we’ve found out with literally every drug in existence no matter how hard of a drug it is, the moment it isn’t legal it gets replaced by a black market with a mountain of new issues.
it will definitely save lives that were cut short
Sorry for being pedantic, but it will do no such thing.
The lives rhat have already been cut short - they’ll continue being cut short. That time isn’t something a magic wand nor a ban on sale can fix.
This type of ban won’t even try to deal with the existing smokers. The only thing it tries to do is stop the new geberation from becoming smokers by taking away access.
Which will probably work, but it’s a stopgap - not a solution.
I’d argue a policy of prevention, of raising prices, of limiting the amount of cancer-causing chemicals and of clearly defining and educating people about tapering off (including perhaps cigarrettes of differing nicotine levels like the vapes) would work better than saying “time’s up, young-uns 2008 onwards can’t get cigs”.
I’d also argue a better approach would be a school lesson where kids try a puff of cigarette smoke, hopefully hate it for life, and never think about trying it again. Banning stuff just makes it seem cool and I think this rebellious aspect is what gets most high school kids into the addiction.
Accessibility doesn’t help, but cigs are already illegal to sell to under-18s but we all know how effective that is at preventing teenagers developing the addiction. Altering the rule a bit doesn’t get rid of the problem of it not being properly enforced.
Idk if it’s really helpful to the convo but As someone who quit smoking less than a year ago after 10+ years I wanna say raising the price won’t help people not smoke. The amount of money I threw at my smokes was just someothing I always budgeted in and it just kinda fucks over poor people who are gonna smoke no matter what. I don’t think this full ban is really gonna do much for already existing smokers. Of course if the cost of selling cigarettes was more than the profit we could get somewhere but at the end of the day every industry would benefit from ditching profit based economics. Thats why I’m a leftist I guess
I think it can be banned if you also don’t criminalize it and implement some kind of harm-reduction system.
This way being caught with a cigarette won’t land you in jail. At most you’ll be fined (though ideally confiscation should be enough). And if you want to quit there are resources.
Heavy penalties should only be for trafficking, which you can achieve by stipulating an amount that counts as trafficking.
Why not everybody
They are cowards who do not want to face the consequences of their actions.
But you cant avoid them forever prohibitionists…
The idea is to prevent addiction forming in newer generation. Rather then banning those they have already developed addiction.
The minimum age has been rising for a couple of years.
This is actually a manifesto promises so has fairly high support. (Unlike almost everything else the gov has done).
fuck that, as someone who is addicted and wants to stop but can’t… JUST BAN THE SHIT
If you’re in your late 70s. You have an excuse. But are not likely to think as you do. But if so. Sorry you were fooled by such arsehole Corporations lieing about their own research for decades.
If younger. Then you grew up knowing how dangerous smoking was. Even if you failed to believe the government telling you so. You have no excuse for makeing the choices you did.
And most of us who made those dumb choices do not expect others to take responsibility for them. Even if we find/found stopping hard. In nearly 60 years. Absolutely every government in my lifetime. Has reduced the excuses of the generations forward to fall for the stupidity. Including my father who gave up in his late 60s after cancer. But knew full well how dumb his smoking was when I was a toddler.
You are entitled to your opinion. But everyone else is also entitled to consider you pathetic. For thinking the government is responsible for fixing your own stupidity.
Even if you failed to believe the government telling you so.
People chose to smoke not because they don’t understand the risk, they find the reward outweighs the risk. Why they think that varies, some like the stimulation, the ritual, the escape, same as the use of any drug (or other “vice” like overeating, sex, gambling). It’s what makes confronting these things difficult, not everyone has the same reason for indulging.
Personally, I’m well aware of the risks of smoking, and that the likelihood I might have a reduced lifespan due to that choice is higher than that of a non-smoker. But it is my life to live, same as it is everyone else’s own lives to live. The information is out there, most of us have seen or know someone who’s experienced the consequences of smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, reckless sex, gambling, food addiction. If they want help to stop and change, be there for them. If they don’t, no amount of coercion, force, or external consequence is going to make someone who doesn’t want to change do it. No amount of vice legislation has ever thwarted vice, it just turns regulating it into a revenue stream for the state because they’re in the business of law enforcement, not crime prevention.
But everyone else is also entitled to consider you pathetic. For thinking the government is responsible for fixing your own stupidity.
So, you also think we should abolish drunk driving laws?
Smoking cigarettes isn’t dangerous to everybody in your vicinity only to second hand smoke and it’s kinda disingenuous to pretend the danger to society from the two is comparable. And like I said I smoked for over 10 years and I’m gen z. Society makes it look cool but I should have listened to my mom the whole time.
oh shut the fuck up. you’re a useless sack of shit
I agree, let’s ban everybody instead of smoking.
It is time to begin the war on sobriety
Drug users of all stripes, we must ban together and begin the war on sobriety! People must be forced to use the types of drugs we want, in the amounts we want them to take. No one should be allowed to remain sober! All must comply or face a crushing police state crack down on them and their sober communities.
Sounds ridiculous right? That’s you prohibitionists. You are ugly awful people who want to control what I do with my body. And its socially acceptable! Virtuous even!
Go fuck yourselves. Fuck yourselves for the rest of your lives. Nothing lasts forever, not even your war on humanity. Fuck off fuckers!
This is exactly the effects of addiction on the brain when the drug supply is threatened.
They are banning smoking. You can still suck on nicotine pouches.
I am not addicted to nicotine. I am addicted to having freedom.
Dont like tobacco? dont use it. Same thing with abortions, same thing with religion.
You are disgusting. Get into bdsm if you want to control other people so bad. At least that would be a positive outlet for your base innate human desire to dominate and control others.
I am not addicted to nicotine. I am addicted to having freedom.
You’re apparently also addicted to unfounded exceptionalism. Since you haven’t said anything specific, I’m assuming from your overwhelmingly passionate backlash that you’ve smoked routinely for at least a few years.
Well-understood medical literature will tell you you’ve developed a tolerance (this one’s just obvious for any CNS stimulant), will have physical withdrawal symptoms for the first few weeks upon cessation, are very likely to have developed a psychological dependence, and just overall are exceedingly likely to have develped an addiction.
Maybe this was meant to be ironic and you’re lampshading that you have an addiction while claiming it’s irrelevant, but if not, I have four words: dude, you’re not special.
Philip Morris International thanks you for your brave defense of products that only exist to create lifelong addictions, make unfathomably massive corporations unfathomable amounts of money, and induce severe chronic health conditions.
Sorry it apparently didn’t work out for you; hopefully fewer kids in the UK born after 2008 will have the same mistake imposed upon them.
Hope you get help for your authoritarian addiction stranger
We could ban advertising and attractive packaging. We could provide non-carcinogenic alternatives like nicotine gum or snus made with synthetic nicotine so no profits go to Philip Morris. We could heavily fine people who smoke around children and other non-smokers. We have all of these regulatory scalpels at our disposable but for some reason we’re always reaching for the nuclear option of prohibition. When will we learn?
When will we learn?
They dont want to learn. They want you to learn who is really in control of human civilization.
One should always be drunk that’s all that matters.
So as to not feel time’s horrible burden and bows you down you must be drunk without ceasing.
But what with? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you choose.
But get drunk
I am already drunk. Im always drunk. Why wouldn’t I be when I am living in the boot worshiping multiverse?
Ban alcohol again douchebags so I can die on a mountain defending my illegal moonshine op from the alphabet boys. At least I would die happy.
IN TIMES OF NATIONAL PERIL, ABOMUNISTS, AS REALITY AMERICANS, STAND READY TO DRINK THEMSELVES TO DEATH FOR THEIR COUNTRY
