14 July 2005

Public smoking ban would save £4bn a year!

Not only would people's health benefit, it would save the taxpayer and economy money! What are we waiting for! Read the story at the following links;

Daily Mail

Guardian

4 comments:

  1. I broadly agree, though I don't have much faith in those guesstimated savings.

    Also, this is pretty creepy: "You become used to the idea that smoking is not normal and you don't do it in front of other people." Replace the word "smoking" with almost any other human activity and see how it sounds. Makes me wonder what their real motive is...

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  2. Well maybe you are right about the guesstimated savings, but I think all that quote is saying is, smokers should give thought to the unpleasant smell and health risks they are imposing on others. It is only a matter of common courtesy.

    If I was going on a business trip or a date, I wouldn't turn up with chicken pox or get away with stinking of garlic or sneezing in people's faces; whereas not only is smoke all pervasing, watch how the smoker holds the cigarette so their face is not in the smoke slipstream. It is done unconciously I'm sure, but if smokers doesn't like smoke in their face, why should anyone else.

    In my opinion, this unpleasant habit has been tolerated in public spaces for far too long.

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  3. Also, this is pretty creepy: "You become used to the idea that smoking is not normal and you don't do it in front of other people." Replace the word "smoking" with almost any other human activity and see how it sounds. Makes me wonder what their real motive is...

    I wrote about that concept here. To sum up, it's based around the 1984 quote, "He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past controls the future.

    DK

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  4. No, I haven't bothered to read the pieces.

    But stating that reducing smoking will save the taxpayer money is simply insane.

    Yes, treating smokers of their diseases does indeed cost money. But then we all die of something and given the NHS we all get treated by the taxpayer.

    So if people weren't dying of smoking related diseases which we have to pay for they'd be dying of other diseases which we'd have to pay for.

    Further, you have heard of pensions systems have you? Also that smokers die, on average, 7 years earlier than non?

    That's on average, 7 years of pnesion saved for each and every smoker.

    Smoking saves the taxpayer money, not costs it.

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