More Smoking Window Dressing
For regular readers of my posts you will remember that I recently railed on the news that more than half of UK Vapers have claimed to have stopped smoking. I have now read that there are proposals to ban smoking in new council homes in a bid to combat second hand smoke. This proposal falls into the same logical paradox, something must be done, this is something, so we must do it.
To penalise smokers in this fashion will not accomplish the goals of getting people to stop smoking. Indeed, what it will do, is force smoking to be an underground activity akin to some drug use. Smokers will not get help, because they are concerned about being reported for their activity. Finally, the smoking numbers will not go down.
Penalty is not an effective motivation for stopping smoking. Surely the exorbitant prices paid by smokers in punitive taxes should be evidence of this. If you want people to stop smoking, start treating them like adults. Tell them the truth regarding the risks of smoking and offer real provable methods of smoking cessation. If the Department of Health were to do this one simple thing, I believe the rate of smoking would decrease significantly.
