Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

bbc.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 430 posts

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#241

Post by MiiMe19 »

bill_joy_fanboy wrote: post #97
techteach00 wrote: post #92

Hopefully vaping will still be legal? They do distinguish the difference between inhaling burnt matter vs inhaling a heated aerosol, yes? Of course not. The only thing government and private enterprise seems good at these days is taking things away from people. Logic be damned.

UK has public/socialized healthcare. If you are a smoker, you are much more likely to be a burden on this system. Makes sense to ban these types of activities if the costs of them are socialized rather than individualized.

We should ban scrolling social media for people born after a certain date and legally mandate an hour of exercise per day and eating 5 servings of vegetables. If you don't listen, one month in jail. The state has decided that since it pays for your healthcare, it will now tell you how to live your life.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#242

Post by nkapias »

First I've heard of generational ban was in a hundred years old novel from Jack London (maybe an autobiography ? can't remember the name). It certainly was about alcohol, maybe he mentioned tobacco as well, anyway the idea and debate certainly aren't new.

I find bewildering that such concepts are tried only centuries later, and wonder how it comes to be possible. Is it that we can finally enforce them, or that the lobbying have been gradually weakened, or enough data to drive decision, etc. ?

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#243

Post by scoofy »

My main problem with this is the "do as I say not as I do" intergenerational conflict.

It just seems completely absurd to me that a government thinks it's acceptable to treat a generation unable to vote differently from the generations who can. It's really an absurd unfreedom and a kind of tyranny.

Why not just pass a law that says people born after 2008 have to pay higher taxes, and work longer hours for less pay? People should be equal under the law.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#244

Post by techteach00 »

LazyMans wrote: post #96
techteach00 wrote: post #92

Hopefully vaping will still be legal? They do distinguish the difference between inhaling burnt matter vs inhaling a heated aerosol, yes? Of course not. The only thing government and private enterprise seems good at these days is taking things away from people. Logic be damned.

Although much less harmful than smoke, nicotine is still not harmless to the cardiovascular system. If the goal is public health, it makes sense to move the needle a little further and try to keep people off nicotine entirely. Alcohol is another story, we're not ready to remove that yet.

Nicotine is less harmful than sugar. Not even close. Ban sugar. Ban everything. Safety nausea.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#245

Post by nutjob2 »

bcjdjsndon wrote: post #3

Alcohol costs the UK 4-5x more than smoking. Coincidentally, it's the upper classes drug of choice. Must be a coincidence though

Alcohol is the deadliest and has the biggest social costs of any drug. Nicotine is second, heroin is a distant third.

Drugs that are largely harmless, like MDMA, are illegal with heavy penalties.

Drug policy is largely nonsense and rampantly hypocritical.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#246

Post by Daviey »

scoofy wrote: post #243

My main problem with this is the "do as I say not as I do" intergenerational conflict. It just seems completely absurd to me that a government thinks it's acceptable to treat a generation unable to vote differently from the generations who can. It's really an absurd unfreedom and a kind of tyranny. Why not just pass a law that says people born after 2008 have to pay higher taxes, and work longer hours for less pay? P…

> Why not just pass a law that says people born after 2008 have to pay higher taxes, and work longer hours for less pay? People should be equal under the law.

We already do this, the UK State Pension age is currently rising from 66 to 67 for those born on or after April 6, 1960.

This change affects, for example, those born between April 1960 and March 1961, who will have a pension age of 66 plus a set number of months.

When I was young, it was 65 for men and 60 for women (from the 1940s until 2010)

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#248

Post by ErroneousBosh »

sir0010010 wrote: post #181
unethical_ban wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My suspicion is that alcohol is mind-altering in ways smoking is not, and has a large effect on social interactions in business and romance and coping with the drudgery of daily life. Take away smoking from the next generation and they move to caffeine or vapes. Take away alcohol and there are revolutions and religious extremist revivals.

Taking away smoking still solves the secondhand smoke issue.

Not the second-hand vape issue though.

Those of us who don't smoke or vape can smell that shit a couple of hundred metres away.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#249

Post by MiiMe19 »

voidUpdate wrote: post #119
alsetmusic wrote: post #33

As a former smoker (who quit for seven years and regrets taking it up again), and as a present-day vape user, wtf. This is a clear restriction on liberty. It may be stupid that I do it. Just like many stupid decisions (junk food included), it ought to be my right to decide how to live. Cut off production so cigarettes are no longer made or imported. Don't block me from them while letting others have them. (Not in UK)…

> "it ought to be my right to decide how to live" "Why is the government stopping me from murdering people and stealing from them? it's my right to decide how I live!"

You vill get your state mandated 1 hour of exercise and 5 servings of vegetables. You VILL eat only the state mandated bug based protein that our studies have shown to be 10% less likely of causing heart attacks than red meat. YOU VILL NOT spend more than 1 hour outside to prevent skin cancer.

Re: Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed

#250

Post by OkayPhysicist »

Daviey wrote: post #246
scoofy wrote: post #243

My main problem with this is the "do as I say not as I do" intergenerational conflict. It just seems completely absurd to me that a government thinks it's acceptable to treat a generation unable to vote differently from the generations who can. It's really an absurd unfreedom and a kind of tyranny. Why not just pass a law that says people born after 2008 have to pay higher taxes, and work longer hours for less pay? P…

> Why not just pass a law that says people born after 2008 have to pay higher taxes, and work longer hours for less pay? People should be equal under the law. We already do this, the UK State Pension age is currently rising from 66 to 67 for those born on or after April 6, 1960. This change affects, for example, those born between April 1960 and March 1961, who will have a pension age of 66 plus a set number of month…

See, that at least affects a big enough swath of voters that they could, if mattered to them, vote everyone involved out. This smoking ban is specifically designed to not affect a single voter.
Post reply on HN