... and nothing of value was lost.
UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
21–30 of 142 posts
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#22Wow, lots of libertarian absolutists up this morning. Guys, that's all well and good as a philosophy, but you need to integrate your views into the world around you too. When you live in a society that has _decided_ to collectively shoulder health care costs, and assume responsibility for everyone's health, you also may need some ground rules. I know it sucks, because _you_ may have just been born there and you don't…
> When you live in a society that has _decided_ to collectively shoulder health care costs
Look, I found the problem!
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Smoking related illness costs the UK more in healthcare than the tax revenue it collects. No twist needed, it's really fucking logical.
Nonsense. Did people already forget the prohibitionism? Did people already forget the war on drugs? I remember liberals were talking about drug decriminalisation 10 years ago, has everybody turned into a puritan nowadays? Also, very hypocritical argument when alcohol (and gambling) are very accepted in British culture. I'd like to see the numbers showing that the few people that still roll their own cigs at 15 pounds…
The Prohibition was actually very effective and reasonable. Especially considering the rampant alcoholism of the time.
Also, Singapore seems to have conclusively won the war on drugs. I would not mind those policies in San Francisco.
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#24They also permanently banned coke,meth and other drugs since the inception of law, guess how that turned out?
"The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that 8.7% of people aged 16 to 59 years (around 2.9 million people) reported using any drug in the last 12 months for the year ending (YE) March 2025; there was no statistically significant change compared with YE March 2024"
I believe limiting people's liberty is an ineffective option opposed to education.
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#25I mean drugs are also banned, and how does that work out?
if you get caught buying/using/… you go to prison
I dont think you can hide with smoking cigarettes almost anywhere, the stink is far too strong, characteristic abd outright repulsive.
Also, you normally dont go to jail by using drugs... what a clueless comment
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#26I cannot fathom the twists of logic necessary to justify such a specific and arbitrary prohibition
I think its an attempt to cut back on health system costs, disguised as well meaning measure. Up next alcohol bans. One might not even numb oneself while beeing a slave to the "allways right" generation vampire.
Alcohol was always an important cultural symbol (drinking wine as a Christian, for example). This is not the case for tobacco, especially highly artificial one.
Tobacco is inherently bad for one's surrounding as well.
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#27This is the logical conclusion when you socialize healthcare.
If you’re pro NHS / single payer, you *must* support this. As well as banning drugs, sugar, extreme sports, unprotected sex, and other high risk behavior. Anything short of this just doesn’t make sense.
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#28The article here just links to the BBC report that was discussed here at the time:
Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed (172 points, 413 comments)
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#29I totally agree that tobacco is a harmful substance. I'm not sure if I agree that a government should try to legislate citizens' habits.
Including for heroin or other hard drugs?
Re: UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
#30Wow, lots of libertarian absolutists up this morning. Guys, that's all well and good as a philosophy, but you need to integrate your views into the world around you too. When you live in a society that has _decided_ to collectively shoulder health care costs, and assume responsibility for everyone's health, you also may need some ground rules. I know it sucks, because _you_ may have just been born there and you don't…
The ironic part to me is you're making an argument similar to one the libertarian absolutists make - society can't shoulder healthcare costs because then it'll need to start taking responsibility over how healthily people live their lives. Without even taking a position on good or bad of it, if the "you also may need some ground rules" is going to stick, why not also bring in mandatory exercise and ban people from sugar and alcohol too? Be a big win for healthcare costs and do people the power of good.
I actually quite like your comment, it'd be interesting to have the stats on whether the downvoter objected to your tone or if they made the logical inference that this argument undermines universal healthcare and didn't like that.