Smoking and PM's speech

woodbine

According to plans outlined in his speech a 14 year old today will never ever be allowed to legally buy cigarettes, as the legal age is raised by one year every year.
Good idea or driving it underground ?

OverlyAnxious

Is smoking still attractive to young people?

No-one in my family smoked and it wasn't something I ever wanted to try.  I suppose for people who's parents or guardians smoke maybe they'd be more likely to?

I do remember the days we'd sit choking in restaurants because the chain or rope dividing the smoking and non-smoking area wasn't particularly effective.  

Hannah_Alumni

I saw how hard it was for my parents to give up. So never wanted to smoke. 

I think showing the cost of cigarettes' compared to other things that teens would like would be more beneficial. I do think "banning" their age makes it seem "illegal" so they "have to do it". Like how kids still try to obtain fireworks.  

Beaver79

I do not nor have I ever smoked myself but I think this will drive it underground. I would question what happened to freedom of choice.

WelshBlue

As an ex-smoker I'm all for it.  If only 1/10 don't smoke

It's a dirty, disgusting, dangerous habit ... harder to give up than illegal substances. 
I've worn the t-shirt of both.

Beggars the big question ... where is all the lost revenue from tobacco going to come from further down the line ... 

... also will they go after the importers/sellers of the counterfeit products - that stuff is really dangerous. Chemical testing is very scary on what's in it

woodbine

Three years ago after fifty years I gave up cigarettes and now use a vape which apparently is 95% safer (the jury is still out on that one), I've always agreed that making it more difficult for young people to start smoking was a good idea, but making it illegal ? not so sure,
There will over a long period be advantages to the NHS but we are talking decades, and of course the tax and duty on 20 cigarettes is around £7.50 per pack where will that revenue come from in the years ahead ?

Sandy_123

Has it been 3 years @woodbine well done 

poppy123456

I quit smoking almost 4 years ago and now use a vape. I'm one of those that hate the smell now. When i was on holiday everyone seemed to be smoking and one thing i did notice was how much it hurt my eyes, never noticed that before.

I know some people that still smoke but i would never ask them now to if i was around them, that's their decision what they choose to do.

Having said that, i don't think it's right that the Government can tell people what they can and can't do with their life, it's so wrong!

Steve_in_The_City

I have to set my stall out right now and admit I was a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in smoking cessation. The idea that people are addicted to nicotine is total rubbish. You are told all the time you are addicted to nicotine, but no-one shows you the proof. As for vapes, they are nonsense. Smoking is a hand to mouth habit, which is way vapes are so popular. No one who smokes vapes have no idea what chemicals are in the "flavour". I was involved in a Parlimentary debate about vapes, and proved that no one knew what chemicals were in the "flavor". So if you smoke vapes, thinking they are better for you, maybe think again.

Biblioklept

Hmmm not sold on this. Like poppy I don't think we should be told what we can or can't do, but also it's so bad for you. 
I also feel that making it illegal will only increase the appeal. Perhaps intentionally given the tax they get from cigarette sales and the drop in sales over recent years..........

woodbine

Steve_in_The_City said:

I have to set my stall out right now and admit I was a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in smoking cessation. The idea that people are addicted to nicotine is total rubbish. You are told all the time you are addicted to nicotine, but no-one shows you the proof. As for vapes, they are nonsense. Smoking is a hand to mouth habit, which is way vapes are so popular. No one who smokes vapes have no idea what chemicals are in the "flavour". I was involved in a Parlimentary debate about vapes, and proved that no one knew what chemicals were in the "flavor". So if you smoke vapes, thinking they are better for you, maybe think again.

The informed idea is that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes, in many ways the things about smoking that made me feel less than well have gone, having said that I don't use any of the fancy flavours and I only buy liquids made in the UK.
The way I see it, if vaping has added 5 years to my life v smoking cigs then its a win win, I have already smoked 21,000 (approx) less cigs than I would have done had I not given them up and saved around £10,000

Steve_in_The_City

The uninformed idea that is that smoking and vaping is utter tosh! But if you think vaping is in some way good for you, then carry on vaping and don't worry about the chemicals you subject yourself to.

poppy123456

Steve_in_The_City said:

 So if you smoke vapes, thinking they are better for you, maybe think again.

You don't actually smoke a vape, you use a vape. There's no actual proof that that vaping is as bad as smoking.

I smoked for over 30 years and couldn't even walk up the stairs without getting out of breath. My clothes didn't smell nice either, along with many other things on top. 

Now i can go up stairs without getting out of breath (if only my mobility would allow it most of the time) and my clothes smell so much better. That along with many other health issues i had when i smoked are now gone. Those alone are enough to tell me that vaping is far better for me. I see no issues with continuing to vape and have no plans to stop anytime soon.

woodbine

Steve_in_The_City said:

The uninformed idea that is that smoking and vaping is utter tosh! But if you think vaping is in some way good for you, then carry on vaping and don't worry about the chemicals you subject yourself to.

I have yet to read any informed conclusion that vaping is anything but preferable to cigarettes, having done both, what I do know for an absolute fact is that one is infinitely cheaper than the other and that will do for me cheers.

woodbine

stormy said:

I think slowly upping the legal age is a good idea; there are plenty of things that are illegal, so Im not seeing this as a major issue as far as rights go. The same argument was made about seatbelts but nobody seems to care about that any more.

My only issue with it is that the Tories suggested it, and I do not trust them to do good things, but Im struggling to see how its bad even so.

I think the issue is that they want to increase the age by one year EVERY year, if they has proposed increasing the limit to 21 and then later 25 it would be no issue as most retailers already have an age limit of 25 for cigs and booze.

woodbine

I understand the "idea" will go to parliament where MP's will be given a "free" vote

Jimm_Scope

While smoking is awful for you I am quite liberal when it comes to things like this. I think you should have a choice of what you can use, and it should be regulated and taxed. That tax should, preferably, go towards investment and healthcare so if you do require more healthcare later in life it's been at least in part paid for by that tax.

I dislike the authoritarianism of telling us what we can and cannot use personally, I think there should be limits when something causes harm to others. Like I believe there should be a law regarding smoking around children for instance, but just yourself? Again, quite liberal in this area. 

We haven't really learnt from American Era of Prohibition or the war on drugs. Neither of which worked, you just drive whatever it is underground. It becomes unregulated, sellers can cut costs by introducing cheaper and more dangerous elements. The proceeds, instead of in part going to the government, instead entirely go to crime organisations.

I just see no upside.

I am fine with upping the smoking age to 18 though.

bg844

Lucky for me I have never been a smoker although the vast majority of my family do. Bar lockdown, nearly every single one of them hasn't paid for a packet from a shop (thus paying the duty) and get it from abroad instead (or ask me to get them some on their behalf when I'm away which I don't mind as long as they pay me back what I paid for them)

Jimm_Scope

I mean that just really goes to show how this ban will do little. If you can just bring them in  from abroad and many don't bother paying here what will a sale ban here even accomplish?

You either can afford to go abroad, or know someone who does, or you have to buy illegally. I just can't see how such a ban can bring any benefit.

(Also never smoked, my gastroenterologist was very happy about that considering my Crohn's.)

bg844

There's also a problem when it's cheaper to holiday abroad than in the UK, I'm going away at the end of this month which was only £200 for 5 days whereas I priced up Haven as an example which would of been about £400!... Another thing that I will never really get over is that I can fly from Manchester to Dublin in half an hour all for the sum of £25 return and take advantage of Duty Free prices (one of the few apparent benefits of us leaving the EU), saving more on duty than the cost of the whole trip.

woodbine

Jimm_Scope said:

While smoking is awful for you I am quite liberal when it comes to things like this. I think you should have a choice of what you can use, and it should be regulated and taxed. That tax should, preferably, go towards investment and healthcare so if you do require more healthcare later in life it's been at least in part paid for by that tax.

I dislike the authoritarianism of telling us what we can and cannot use personally, I think there should be limits when something causes harm to others. Like I believe there should be a law regarding smoking around children for instance, but just yourself? Again, quite liberal in this area. 

We haven't really learnt from American Era of Prohibition or the war on drugs. Neither of which worked, you just drive whatever it is underground. It becomes unregulated, sellers can cut costs by introducing cheaper and more dangerous elements. The proceeds, instead of in part going to the government, instead entirely go to crime organisations.

I just see no upside.

I am fine with upping the smoking age to 18 though.

It is 18 now @Jimm_Scope although most retailers including the big four supermarkets won't sell cigs or drink to under 25's without ID.