Tobacco

Market Where? · 18th September 2010, 09:54 AM

There have been a few threads on here (usually around drug legislation) where people have posted that if tobacco was discovered today it would be banned. Probably true but now we have it what are peoples thoughts on how it should be legislated?

BTW I declare a vested interest from the start.

18th September 2010, 11:14 AM

As an ex-smoker (I smoked for 30+ years) I wish it had been banned in about 1959. Terrible, terrible habit.

mackemlegend · 18th September 2010, 11:20 AM

I don't think it would be banned until people started dying of lung cancer etc, and then its too late to ban it. Its not like these powders that kill people overnight.

JonMc · 18th September 2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Market Where?

There have been a few threads on here (usually around drug legislation) where people have posted that if tobacco was discovered today it would be banned. Probably true but now we have it what are peoples thoughts on how it should be legislated?

BTW I declare a vested interest from the start.

As it is now I suppose. I don't see how anything else is workable.

Market Where? · 18th September 2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonMc

As it is now I suppose. I don't see how anything else is workable.

Well as mentioned above you could go for an outright ban - Bhutan tried it but it didn't work. They are trying again but it is only a ban on buying or selling tobacco in the country.

Also there is a lot of new legislation being talked about - display bans, plain packaging, increased duty etc.

While there is still a demand for tobacco products (and the WHO is forecasting that total consumption will remain pretty static over the next 50 years) does some of the legislation run the risk of driving the business underground?

JonMc · 18th September 2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Market Where?

Well as mentioned above you could go for an outright ban - Bhutan tried it but it didn't work. They are trying again but it is only a ban on buying or selling tobacco in the country.

Also there is a lot of new legislation being talked about - display bans, plain packaging, increased duty etc.

While there is still a demand for tobacco products (and the WHO is forecasting that total consumption will remain pretty static over the next 50 years) does some of the legislation run the risk of driving the business underground?

It already is underground. Illegal sales of tobacco in this country are only restricted by how much is on supply. Continued education, display bans and packaging changes will all have a positive effect but only to a degree and increasd duty will only raise money from folk who can't get hold of the stuff that gangsters peddle.

Market Where? · 18th September 2010, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonMc

It already is underground. Illegal sales of tobacco in this country are only restricted by how much is on supply. Continued education, display bans and packaging changes will all have a positive effect but only to a degree and increasd duty will only raise money from folk who can't get hold of the stuff that gangsters peddle.

Agree with this bit. There is some evidence that there is a "health impact fatigue" effect mind, and also I think there is a risk that too much legislation can make it seem "cool" to younger people.

I wonder about the precedents being set as well. The health effect justification can equally well be used against a whole range of other products and activities.