What is your opinion on smoking ban?

25 comments

1. Civil Liberties exist, if a grown adult want to smoke a cigarette he should be allowed. There are way more important issues to fix then this. Also when has making a substance illegal ever stopped people?

2. I think its great. We can’t afford a public health service while people huff smoke for no reason.

   I’d go further and ban vapes until government funded research into the effects can be completed.

3. I don’t smoke, I don’t see the appeal. But I don’t think they should ban it. It’s not really in the same category as drugs. People can make their own decisions if they want to smoke, everyone knows the health risks. What they should do is crack down on the underage smoking which I know is hard, but maybe if it’s discovered parents are buying fags for their kids impose fines ect.

   Edit: saw someone mention vapes, now that’s something that should be banned. No one’s knows the long term affects and more appeal to kids. Like why are they all fruit and sweet flavoured making kids want them

4. I think prohibition is generally a bad idea – it immediately creates a more unsafe black market potential. I’d prefer that carrot and stick methods are used – high taxes, help with addiction, further restrictions on public smoking, hard regulation of the industry etc..

5. Bans don’t work.

   Never have, never will.

   I quit smoking due to price of ciggies.

6. Look at it this way, if someone comes out with a new invention that takes 30 years lifespan and/or destroys the health of the user would it be allowed?

   And yes I am aware your uncle Norman smoked 80 a day from age 6 and was tragically killed aged 102 when he lost control of his plane whilst joining the mile high club.

7. I worry it’s not a great idea. We’ve done a really good job of reducing smoking without banning it. Creating a black market for cigarettes and adding a level of rebelliousness to smoking I worry is a bad idea (especially since one of the huge public health successes has been convincing young people it’s not rebellious and counter cultural to smoke).

   I’m generally a bit sceptical of prohibiting substances.

8. It’s a badly thought out and illiberal policy that will drive tax revenue into the hands of a black market and do more harm than good.

9. Are you talking about the 2007 ban of smoking in indoor public spaces? Or a theoretical future total ban?

   Banning it entirely is impractical. But I’d like to see smoking treated the same as sex: a consenting adult can do what they like with their own body, but do it in the privacy of their home and don’t inflict their reeking cancer-clouds on the rest of us.

10. I don’t smoke, but no, I don’t think it should be banned.

    I don’t think any drugs should be illegal for adults to take. They should be taxed and regulated.

11. It’s pointless, kids will still smoke. Just this time, they’ll have to go to dealers who don’t pay tax and contribute to violent crime.

    We’re supposed to be legalising or decriminalising drugs as time goes on, not banning more. It doesn’t fucking work.

12. All adults should be able to make their own decision about their health. I don’t agree with it

13. I think if people are stupid enough to smoke, let them. But smoking in any public place should be banned.

14. Good intentions, bad idea – prohibition leads to big illegal markets where customers are exposed to even more dangerous, criminally sourced products.

15. Smoking is naturally falling, I don’t think the prohibition of anyone under a certain age makes any difference. I think the tax is about right as well.

    They should put sensible restrictions on vapes as well like plain packaging.

    What you don’t want is what they’ve got in Australia which is a huge open black market for cigarettes. You see some shops openly sell duty free(presumably fake) cigarettes because the real ones cost £35+ a pack. Or dodgy vapes which seems to be openly smoked even though they’re illegal to sell.

    If you ban or add silly restrictions you’ll end up criminalising more people and people smoking even more dangerous/dodgy/tax-free cigarettes.

16. I don’t think we should ban them, smoking has decreased hugely in recent years due to public education and limits on advertising. Banning things shouldn’t be a go-to for any government, except where absolutely necessary, and smoking doesn’t fit the bill. Bombs? Sure, ban those. But not cigarettes.

17. Im an adult and I’ll do what the fuck I like to my body thanks.
    Restrict where you can smoke. Since second hand smoke smells awful. But don’t ban it.

    In fact I want to see everything legalised. With excellent education on the effects of it all so that people can make their own decisions in safe environments away from putting others into danger through crime.

    Taxation on top to fund it all so that it costs nothing to people who don’t partake.

18. Yes they should ban it, along with vaping too if research is done and it proves to be equally as bad for you.

    The main reason though is that by smoking your effecting others around you passively which things like alcohol doesn’t do, and deaths can be attributed to secondhand smoke.

    It’s an old pre indoor smoking ban paper but they determined that 600 people a year were dieing due to work based exposure and 2700 due to home based exposure which is just mental and due to other people’s actions rather than their own. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC556069/

19. The issue for smoking for me was the impact it had on other people. I started going out drinking in the mid 90s and remember having to wash every item of clothing I wore after a night out because all the pubs and clubs were thick with smoke. I can’t imagine what it was like for the poor buggers working in these places.

    I’m not sure I support a ban as I don’t think prohibition is particularly effective, I do however support making smoking as expensive and as awkward as possible.

    Sell them in smaller packets (packs of 6 or 8) and make them really expensive. Ban smoking from pedestrianised shopping areas in towns etc etc

20. I don’t smoke. I don’t believe in banning things but it is so frustrating to be walking outside and getting other people’s smoke in the face. It is like dealing with drunk people, don’t drink if you can’t handle your alcohol.

21. Ex smoker here, i think it’s a terrible idea, i don’t like smoking anymore, but people should be allowed to make their own decisions, government shouldn’t get involved.

22. It’s not a complete prohibition per se but a phased one to stop younger generations from taking up the habit. I’m an ex smoker and my Dad was also a smoker and he died from lung cancer and I can assure you, it is not a pleasant way to go.
    I’m obviously for the ban but I understand that if people really want to smoke, then they will get them from somewhere but ultimately that is their choice, whether legal or not.
    This is about peoples health and also subsequently about saving money that would be required to support the NHS through smoking related illnesses. Therefore enforcing this ban would no doubt help in both respects.

23. Let’s ban the fatties first.

    Smoking costs the NHS £2.6bn.

    Alcohol costs the NHS £3.5bn.

    Obesity costs the NHS £6bn.

    Seriously though, world’s going to shit, and sometimes all you want is a nice beer, quiet cigarette, and some hearty food.

24. I don’t smoke, I quite dislike second hand smoke, and I think smoking is bad and people should stop/never take it up

    HOWEVER, I firmly believe in supporting the right to smoke. Banning substances is a violation of what should be our natural rights as humans. And if I don’t stand up now, who’s going to stand up for me when they come for things I like, such as alcohol?

25. I’m a non-smoker. Some people like smoking. So let them smoke.

    Drinking, smoking, gambling, junk food, etc. Humans like doing lots of things that are often unwise or unhealthy.

    You only live once and life would be pretty fucking boring without a vice or two.