Page 1 of Raising the age of smoking to 21...

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Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 18:43

https://news.sky.com/story/mps-call-for-age-of-sale-of-cigarettes-to-be-raised-from-18-to-21-to-end-tobacco-epidemic-by-2030-12328112

I get the argument from a medical perspective, but if they can't stop youngsters from smoking under the age of 18 then what use is it going to be raising the age to 21 if you are unable to enforce it?

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

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RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Jitendar Canth (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 18:57

They should raise the age by one year, every year, and reclassify nicotine as an illicit drug for everyone below that age. 
You can’t stop people from using prohibited substances, but there are far fewer people indulging than if they were legalised.

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Jitendar Canth

Quote:
"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."


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RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:23

Quote:
Jitendar Canth says...
"They should raise the age by one year, every year, and reclassify nicotine as an illicit drug for everyone below that age. 
You can’t stop people from using prohibited substances, but there are far fewer people indulging than if they were legalised."

And what would you do to those under age who used these drugs?

Even if you deemed this a reasonable use of police time, what would you charge them with and what sentencing would you propose?

If you don't deem it a reasonable use of police time, how would you enforce it?

And would you then also raise the age of drinking alcohol and the right to vote?

None of this affects me, so I have no skin in this game, but the actual debate and implications fascinate me...

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

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RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Jitendar Canth (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:26

Just as with drugs now, the emphasis will be on controlling supply, not policing usage. Shops that sell to underage customers are warned, fined, and ultimately lose their licenses. Eventually there will come a point where it will become a criminal enterprise, but probably not for fifty years or so.

===========================
Jitendar Canth

Quote:
"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."


Site Reviewer at DVD Reviewer & MyReviewer

Carving out a niche with a pneumatic drill at Anime @ MyReviewer.com

RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:31

Quote:
Jitendar Canth says...
"Just as with drugs now, the emphasis will be on controlling supply, not policing usage."

But we can't even control the supply of already existing illicit drugs, so much so that plenty of experts agree that we've lost the war on drugs.

Why would tobacco be so different?

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

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RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Jitendar Canth (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:37

As I said it’s a matter of magnitude. It’s about getting users of nicotines down from millions down to hundreds or maybe tens of thousands. The costs to the NHS will similarly reduce.

An incremental age ban would deter more people from ever starting.
===========================
Jitendar Canth

Quote:
"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."


Site Reviewer at DVD Reviewer & MyReviewer

Carving out a niche with a pneumatic drill at Anime @ MyReviewer.com

RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:53

Quote:
Jitendar Canth says...
"The costs to the NHS will similarly reduce."

https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/tobacco-duty/

Money able to be spent in the NHS would similarly decrease but at a larger amount, seeing as in layman’s terms that means, that on a £8 packet of cigarettes, someone will be paying approximately £6.40 in tobacco tax. Around 80% of the price of a packet of cigarettes is now made up of tax.

With just under 15% of people now said to be smokers, tobacco taxation is paid by 6.9 million people in the UK.  In 2020/21, tobacco tax revenue was expected to raise £8.7 billion for the government, having raised £8.8 billion in 2019/20.

With less people smoking and the vaping industry growing, the tax revenue raised by cigarette excise duty is now decreasing. The revenues being raised have already dropped from a peak of £9.2 billion in 2018/19.


Meanwhile the cost of smoking on the NHS according to HMG is £2.6bn in comparison:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-smoking-to-the-nhs-in-england-2015/cost-of-smoking-to-the-nhs-in-england-2015

Figures are a tad out of date and are only primary and secondary settings, not sure if this covers anti-smoking advice services but according to NICE it costs around £39.8m to provide those services:

https://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/standards-and-indicators/qof%20indicator%20key%20documents/NM40%20cost%20statement.pdf

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

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This item was edited on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 19:54

RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 20:00

Just to say that if tobacco didn't exist and/or smoking ceased to be then I would be more than happy as think it is an awful habit with serious health consequences for some.

On the other hand, I also see how it is used as a crutch to calm major anxiety issues.

I don't have an answer but think the debate is a useful one to have...

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

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RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Jitendar Canth (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 20:23

The problem is that we’ve come to the point of diminishing returns when it comes to regulation. There are interior bans, exterior bans in some public settings (outside hospitals and the like), even some controls on private settings (smoking in cars with children in)

The next step can only be prohibition. Maybe start taxing vaping and nicotine products…

===========================
Jitendar Canth

Quote:
"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."


Site Reviewer at DVD Reviewer & MyReviewer

Carving out a niche with a pneumatic drill at Anime @ MyReviewer.com

RE: Raising the age of smoking to 21...

Si Wooldridge (Reviewer) posted this on Wednesday, 9th June 2021, 20:40

Agree with your first paragraph, not so sure about prohibition...

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Si Wooldridge
Reviewer

http://synth.myreviewer.com

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