Smoking Ban + NHS

[fairkatrina]

Does anyone else think the government have shot themselves in the foot here?

1. The NHS is practically run from tax on cigarettes, but we are being encouraged to cut down / quit.
2. The biggest threat to the future of the NHS is the obesity epidemic.
3. People who quit smoking put on lots of weight.

It seems to me the government are encouraging the funding for the NHS to dry up, while promoting the single biggest preventable strain on it. Big mistake???

[Goodsoulette]

if everyone gave up smoking then there would be a 10 billion shortfall in money in tax. People aren't gonna give up smoking just because they cant do it in the pub, smokers don't spend most of their time in it any more than nonsmokers do.

[jno]

people who aren't smoking will live longer, produce more and save more, and maybe won't spend so much time in hospitals. So it cuts both ways. And in general governments should do what they can to encourage good health.

Some non-smokers aren't obese, though sadly I can't say I'm one of these.

[Lonnie]

All that will happen, is that if the goverment, (any goverment) find that they are missing the money from the Tobacco tax, they will either introduce a new tax for something else, or raise an existing tax.

They won't go short.

[Theland]

Maybe we will have illegal smoking dens, a 21stC version of Al Capone running them, "knock three times and ask for Joe."

[ludwig]

jno - on the contrary, people who live to a ripe old age will spend more time in retirement claiming state pension and going in and out of hospital - but I agree the government should be encouraging good health.
They keep putting the tax up to compensate for the number of people quitting. Presumably one day there'll be about 10 smokers left and a packet of fags will cost about 20 million quid.

[Loosehead]

smoking pays for about 6 weeks of the NHS budget, hardly "practically run......etc" Smoking costs the NHS about 1.5 billion directly, the indirect costs are incalculable. It is a myth that smoking is a net contributor. It's one of the main peices of bull that smokers use as comfort blanket to self justify their filthy habit.

[brionon]

And banning the Mugging of Old People who would die and save on Pensions.

[alijangra]

Spot on, Loosehead.

[stewey]

It has now been proven, without a doubt, that smoking is the leading cause of statistics.

[Bazile]

Bottom line

In public , I want to go about my business , work , in a smoke free atmpsphere .

Smokers ( mostly ) - always trot out the civil liberties arguement , as is the case of the last minute challenge to the ban , in the courts recently .
What about my civil liberty , not to have to breathe in second hand smoke ?

[anotheoldgit]

Noticing all the very attractive out-side smoking facilities that some pubs are providing. (I have seen one that looks like a little cabin that has open sides at the top, and inside it has a log-fire, comfy chairs and ash trays on the tables). It will be interesting to see what goes off when non-smokers take up all the seats in these facillities, and the smokers have nowhere to sit. There is about to be a new phrase introduced ' Smokers Rage '

[campbellking]

Sorry to disappoint you, but working in a hospital, I can assure you that many of our obese patients smoke.
I don't smoke and have a perfectly normal BMI (weigh 56 kg if you must know). Must be something to do with exercise and diet rather than having a cancer stick in my hand.

[bensmum]

A programme I was watching the other day said that a major threat to the NHS is alcohol abuse particularly as they were seeing much younger people with problems now.
Must agree with loosehead and bazile here - I too have rights and I don't want someone's second-hand smoke.

[Le Chat]

Campbellking, I think you're missing the point with regard to what fairkatrina was saying about obesity. Yes, people who smoke are often obese as are people who don't smoke, yet there are many people who smoke now who are not at all overweight. On quitting smoking, it is a common occurence that people replace smoking with eating, as their sense of taste heightens, their appetite increases, their metabolism drops (only slightly but enough to make a difference if they don't watch their intake) and above all they need something else to do! Therefore, quitting the fags can be the start of a long road to obesity. My best friend stopped smoking and put on 3 stone in 6 months. She eventually started smoking again, not because of her weight gain but because of her addiction (she had one on a night out.....) So now she is a fatty and a smoker and the situation is twice as bad!