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Smoking ban what do you think?

(77 Posts)
vegansrock Thu 05-Oct-23 15:45:39

I am very anti smoking, particularly as both my parents died of smoking related diseases. So if Sunak really wants to ban smoking I’m in favour. However, I’m not sure how the raising the age proposal will work. Will in 20 years time, 34 year olds be asked for ID? Or is the hope that by that time so few people will smoke that their sales will be extremely limited? But I’m upset that no decisive measures on vaping were announced apart from a vague “ consultation process”. Disposable vapes are terrible for the environment and a huge number of young teenagers are buying and becoming addicted to them. Surely there could be an outright ban on these, and non flavoured non disposable vapes to help people quit smoking could be sold in plain packaging in pharmacies.

paddyann54 Thu 05-Oct-23 15:52:39

He wont ban smoking he makes too much on tax from it,the same as alcohol.All pie in the sky to make eegits vote for him

MayBee70 Thu 05-Oct-23 15:56:56

Vaping is a ticking time bomb, both health wise and environmentally wise. Starting to see disposable ones on the beach, now. I assume they have nicotine in them which is incredibly addictive? They were meant to be a way of getting people off cigarettes not introducing young people to a new form of addiction: there must be so much peer pressure on young people to vape. As an ex smoker myself I know how difficult it is to quit once addicted and as someone who is very awkward socially I know what it’s like to use cigarettes as a prop when socialising.

silverlining48 Thu 05-Oct-23 16:07:01

It’s concerning that so many youngsters are vaping some still at primary school. The sweet flavours and pretty colours are all to attract the children who do not realise vaping is supposed to help adult smokers give up, and not as a starter to smoking by youngsters,

Hetty58 Thu 05-Oct-23 16:17:29

Teenagers, who look like adults (especially the girls) buy alcohol, vapes and cigarettes for younger children all the time. How can that be stopped?

I see Sunak's promises as quick (and pretty useless) simple 'solutions' that will appeal to a section of Tory voters who either can't or won't think things through, that's all.

Helenlouise3 Thu 05-Oct-23 16:24:18

I'm far more concerned with vaping to be honest. No matter what the age, people who want to smoke will find a way to get them. I thought vaping was introduced to help people quit smoking cigarettes, but it seems to have become the lates fashion accessory. Neither my grandson 23 or his main friends have ever smoked, but all are now vaping on a regular basis. People I know who started vaping in order to quit smoking are still vaping after 3/4 years. At least a cigarette came to an end. Some people vape continuously

rosie1959 Thu 05-Oct-23 16:42:38

I agree Helenlouise3 vaping is a much bigger problem amongst the young.
I tried vaping a couple of times not a fan didn’t half make me cough. Smoking has already reduced a great deal the cost is enough to put many off including the young with little disposable income but vaping is very cheap in comparison
How on earth are they going to ‘police’ this as the ages get older ?
What happened to free choice are they going to ban alcohol next because you won’t find A&E bunged up with people that have smoked too many legal cigarettes. Town centres are not full late at night with badly behaved smokers.
They can’t ban illegal drugs successfully so how will this work.

Grantanow Thu 05-Oct-23 17:13:21

The evidence is that raising the minimum age for buying fags cuts smoking by around 30 to 39%. Of course governments lose some tax income but not from older smokers so the tax take reduces gradually, plenty of time to think about taxing something else! Rishi isn't quite right about no minimum harm. The USA Surgeon General's research showed no discernable difference in outcome between nonsmoking and 1 or 2 cigars (not cigarettes) a week.

Chestnut Thu 05-Oct-23 17:33:56

Vapes should never have been made legal except by prescription and only at pharmacies. It's no good relying on people to do 'the right thing' and only use them to wean themselves off cigarettes. The various types and flavours were just as attractive to non-smokers who saw them as cool, and it was obvious they would appeal to youngsters too.

They need to get all this rubbish right off the high street, disposable vapes, alcoholic popsicles (or whatever they're called). Children seem to get hold of these things somehow. Make them all illegal, although that won't stop them being sold online. I'm afraid once this genie was let out of the bottle it's not going to be possible to put him back in.

DiamondLily Thu 05-Oct-23 17:55:17

I'm thinking that illegal drugs are illegal - whether to import, supply, grow, manufacture, deal or take.

Has this stopped or lowered anyone doing it?

Nope.

Waste of time - all banning does is to send it into the hands of gangs.

I did have a mad vision, of, at some time in the future, a 60 year old asking his 61 year old mate to buy him some cigs though lol😬

Pie in the sky.🙄

rosie1959 Thu 05-Oct-23 18:00:41

I wonder what type of ID they are going to accept to prove your age? With all the fuss over using ID to vote I can imagine this being the same.
Your comment made me laugh DiamondLily

Lovetopaint037 Thu 05-Oct-23 18:02:15

Should have been done years ago.

Blossoming Thu 05-Oct-23 18:03:39

It should have been banned years ago. I’m not knocking those who can’t give up their addiction but I do think it’s disgusting and smelly.

Theexwife Thu 05-Oct-23 18:07:17

I don't agree with banning, smoking is going down, and only 13% of the country smokes. Probably due to the cost rather than people thinking of the health implications.

I would rather the cost of alcohol was vastly increased to lower the amount of people drinking excessively, if you visit an A&E department over the weekend you can see the results.

MrsKen33 Thu 05-Oct-23 18:09:57

Is is not a ban on smoking, but on buying tobacco. Someone will find a way to get around it. Wonderful idea, but is it possible.

MayBee70 Thu 05-Oct-23 18:17:34

Just checked and vapes have large amounts of nicotine in them so they’re totally addictive. How has this been allowed to happen? When I used to smoke I couldn’t wait for the next cigarette even when I was smoking the first one; I just craved nicotine. And there’s an association problem; certain situations made me need a cigarette eg walking into a pub before the ban. This is going to happen with vapes. And, as a nurse told me, vaping will lead to a condition called wet lung; they’re not without a risk to health.

DiamondLily Thu 05-Oct-23 18:21:18

The biggest killer, in this country, is, apparently, obesity...are they going to start banning unhealthy foods and make everyone go on a diet?

As adults, we all make choices. I don't think governments should be laying down diktats.

Yes, smoking related cases costs the NHS £3 billion pounds per year. Smokers are taxed £11 billion pounds per year- so there's not even a financial argument.🙄

But, Dunak is just throwing out what he thinks are popular ideas. Very few will happen.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 05-Oct-23 18:22:24

maybee listened to a doctor/scientists.

So cigarettes are far worse than vapes because it isn’t the nicotine that kills you, it is all the nasties contained in the cigarettes.

MayBee70 Thu 05-Oct-23 19:27:21

Yes. Nicotine isn’t harmful like tobacco but it’s addictive. Your body craves it. Without the nicotine people wouldn’t be addicted to smoking cigarettes. But vapes have chemicals in them. And my nurse friend said you’re inhaling moisture with vapes which can result in a condition called wet lung. She’s a MacMillan nurse and is very concerned about it. It’s better for someone that can’t stop smoking to vape instead but kids are vaping when they probably would never have intended to smoke cigarettes.

MayBee70 Thu 05-Oct-23 19:30:50

South Valley public health officials are warning people who vape they may be exposing themselves to a potentially dangerous respiratory illness.

In recent months, health officials have reported a spike of people in Kings, Fresno, and Tulare counties being admitted to hospitals with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) or wet lung.

‘Wet lung is a severe pulmonary condition that produces flu-like symptoms and can rapidly escalate, health officials say.

Symptoms may include rapid breathing, nausea, a low blood-oxygen level, low blood pressure, confusion, and extreme tiredness’.

Jaxjacky Thu 05-Oct-23 19:31:05

MayBe70 refillable vapes can have 0 nicotine, my daughter uses one, you can buy vape liquid with various strengths of nicotine in, vaping CBD oils or cannabis causes wet lung, not nicotine.
I don’t know enough about disposable vapes and nicotine, however, imo they are a scourge on young people’s health if they contain nicotine and a disposal/recycling nightmare.
Back to the OP, a fine aspiration; there is already a black market in tobacco, as with illegal drugs, I would like to see Rishi’s proposal implemented,mor the price increased for cigarettes.
Pipe smoking has virtually disappeared as it became more expensive, is bulkier and didn’t appeal to women.

Romola Thu 05-Oct-23 19:57:23

I find Sunak's idea very strange and would think it impossible to enforce in a few short years.
No-one has suggested banning alcohol, which is the cause of much of the worst behaviour including domestic abuse. Yet it is still relatively cheap to buy in supermarkets.
Smoking has become prohibitively expensive and therefore much less common (how many of us grans are ex-smokers?)
Vaping has become more of a concern. Are young people being properly informed about the dangers as well as the waste caused by disposable vapes?

62Granny Thu 05-Oct-23 20:00:05

I would love to see it annex but I don't think it will ever happen, because if it gets banned the Gov. Will lose out on the tax and it will just go under ground, defeating the object. The Gov won't get the tax and the health service will still have the people with smoking related problems.

62Granny Thu 05-Oct-23 20:00:45

That should read Axed not annex.

Tenko Thu 05-Oct-23 21:53:25

I’ve never smoked and hate smoking . I’m also very concerned about the high intake of vapers especially the young . The problem with vaping is that we don’t know the long term effects, 10 or 20 or 30 years ahead . We know of conditions like popcorn lung .
The other problem is that smokers turn to vaping instead of smoking and in the belief that they will be weaned off nicotine. But all the xsmokers I know who have switched to vaping can’t give up vaping