Quote Originally Posted by mickd1961 View Post
What do you think of the proposed law changes being voted on that will effectively make it a lifelong smoking ban for anyone in the UK?

I have never smoked and I lost my dad to a ruptured aorta before he got to 68 years old, smoking was responsible according to his surgeon, he’d already had a quadruple heart bypass due to smoking.

I’ve always hated smoking and I’m dismayed that two of my three adult children smoke but I don’t believe this proposed law change is a good idea.

Surely we’ve learned enough from drugs abuse to know that the more you make things illegal the more you introduce a black market and criminality!?

I’m more in the camp of de criminalising drugs, even harder drugs and allowing controlled use and even taxing it.

So many more important issues than this for me.

Once you are 18 and legally an adult you should be allowed to make grown up decisions even if those decisions wreck your own body.
Agree with a lot of what you have said. The financial cost to the NHS and the dangers of smoking are well known but apart from the issue of whether being able to enforce such a ban is even possible, I think your other arguments make sense.

A legal ban may have some impact but it won't stop it and, perhaps more importantly, introducing such a ban is a slippery slope in that you are taking away an adult's right to make decisions for themselves. Obviously any society needs laws to protect its individuals and so no-one has a right to simply behave as they wish (e.g. harm, kill others) and some laws are there to protect individuals from themselves (e.g. the wearing of seat belts) but the latter especially is tricky as the law should surely always also be mindful of the freedom of individuals to make their own decisions based on their own risk assessments -though this is where education on the subject comes in.

If we introduce a ban like this on smoking, what next? fizzy drinks, crisps, take- aways, alcohol? Obesity and alcoholism also present a hefty burden on our health service and impact lives. Surely better education and restrictions on sales that may at least encourage moderation are a better way forward?