Careless Tories!

[Geoff Parkstone]

Coincidentally Sith I’ve just, against my better judgement, bought 400 fags for a mate in Derby. It’s going on forty five years since I bought myself any but, looking at the graphic pictures on the packet...one of a dead young body and another of a tar filled lung...if that doesn’t stop people in their tracks then I doubt any amount of education will.
As for vaping...the information is so vague and the scientific findings so contradictory that I doubt Sunak’s distraction tactics are going to have any effect. So...agreeing with your thoughts on smoking and vaping but I don’t expect any real change any time soon.
Extending the debate to other less legal drugs, I honestly think it’s time for legislation to legalise them, thus ensuring better quality control, cutting out the squalid ‘middle man’ unscrupulous dealers and gaining some income via taxation.

I can't believe you've got away with smoking OP's for 45 years rA. Amazingly thick skin 😄

The loss of tax revenue is a huge deterrent against an outright ban, especially as there's a huge tail / lag on related NHS savings, given that the human ashtrays take so long to die off.

Legalising heroin and coke might allow the tax void to be filled, but I'm not convinced on the morality - albeit the end user price could stand a big tax take if you remove the profits taken by the supply chain.

[swaledale]

I can't believe you've got away with smoking OP's for 45 years rA. Amazingly thick skin ��

The loss of tax revenue is a huge deterrent against an outright ban, especially as there's a huge tail / lag on related NHS savings, given that the human ashtrays take so long to die off.

Legalising heroin and coke might allow the tax void to be filled, but I'm not convinced on the morality - albeit the end user price could stand a big tax take if you remove the profits taken by the supply chain.

Not sure legalising those drugs not currently legally available is to increase the tax take!! The morality argument is complex, who decides which drug is legal or illegal and on what basis?

But there was an interesting trial conducted by a Dr in Warrington, where heroin was provided on prescription and it had the following effect - it put the local dealers out of business, why buy heroin that's been cut to varying degrees when you can get it at a known strength. It reduced the burden on the health service as it reduced overdoes and infections due to dirty needle use, it enabled treatment to be offered to those that wanted it.

Of course the government shut it down, and continues rather hypocritically it might be add given certain members have admitted or are known to have used illegal drugs and wasn't every bathroom in the houses of parliament supposed to be contaminated with cocaine?

Prohibition and criminalisation hasn't worked its high time a more intelligent drugs policy was implemented.