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UK Prime Minister to create ‘smokefree generation’ by ending cigarette sales to those born on or after 1 January 2009 (www.gov.uk)
submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/anticonsumption@slrpnk.net
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I think it was the prime minister (or spokesperson) who made this very clever argument: (paraphrasing) “we are not taking away choice… cigarettes are designed to inherently take away your choice by trapping you in an addiction.”

I’m not picking sides here, just pointing out a great piece of rhetoric to spin the policy as taking away something that takes away your choice. Effectively putting forward the idea that you don’t have choice to begin with.

(sorry to say this rhetoric was not mentioned in the linked article; I just heard it on BBC World Service)

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[-] h_ramus@lemm.ee 17 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

The intention is meritable. As usual, Tories misunderstand how to achieve the stated objective. They'll be creating a secondary market whereby those born before 2009 will supply cigarettes to those born after 2009... for a fee of course. Party of business and entrepreneurialship.

Also, drinking yourself into a stupor seems to be socially acceptable in the UK whilst the cost is much larger.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/24/tories-failure-to-tackle-alcohol-harm-is-causing-public-health-crisis-say-mps

Cigarettes were already heavily taxed in the UK anyway. The relative share of smokers is much lower compared to places like France.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-rates-by-country

If the goal is to improve everyone's well-being, is this the best way to achieve it?

[-] Phil_in_here@lemmy.ca 8 points 7 months ago

Until no one is left alive who can buy cigarettes. Or rather, until no one produces cigarettes on an industrial level because the narket is so small. Then they need to grow tobacco themselves and suffer without buckets of toxic shit put into commercial cigarettes.

I'm all for making drastic positive changes in our lifetimes, but a slow change is better than no change

this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2024
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Anticonsumption

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