Anti-smoking law.

[JohnP]

First of all let me say I haven't smokes a cigarette since 1970, I do however enjoy the odd cigar.... maybe 2 or 3 a month.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-eyes-ozs-tough-anti-smoking-laws-062710113.html

The nanny state get's right up my nose, people know the risks of smoking and should be allowed to make up their own minds about whether to continue, it's not just smoking, drinking, driving, crossing the road and flying all have their risks, perhaps we should all just stay safe in bed all day. I wish the government would just get off our backs. If everyone who smokes stopped overnight the government would soon start putting the lost revenue on to something else... probably onto the motorist as bloody usual. Rant over.

[annie]

well i enjoy me fag.

what they don't explain though is where they expect to collect money lost! if all us smokers gave up, that's an awful lot of money in tax that the government will not be collecting...the non smokers may not be so happy then, because you can bet your last ciggie that the government will look to collect the shortfall elsewhere....

plus the criminals would find a way to make it profitable, just like the drugs..

[Guest DaveW]

I suppose smoking and drinking alcohol are tolerated as being traditional coming from earlier less scientific times when the health risks were not realised, or were even promoted as being healthy. However if they had just been invented in this modern era they would certainly have been listed as controlled drugs, since they are just as addictive and damaging to health as many of the presently controlled substances. The only reason they are not is so much government revenue is derived from them and many jobs depend on them, therefore that probably makes the state and the firms manufacturing them no better than drug dealers!

I well know how addictive smoking is because my dad could not last long without a ciggarette. He once tried to give up smoking and evidently lasted a full hour before he had to give in and light up! That is the reason I never started. If smokers and drinkers are really honest they usually have to admit they originally started in order to look big to their friends and unfortunately then got adicted. They all claim they can give it up whenever they want, but the majority never can once hooked.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4232703.stm

According to the radio this morning the Australian Government know present smokers are a lost cause, the aim with making cigarrette packets more bland and hiding them from sight is to make them less attractive to youngsters who hopefully will then not start smoking. In the old days you could only buy alcohol from an off license or a pub and only for certain hours each day, so the problem of youngsters binge drinking on the streets did not really start in our towns until alcohol was put on display and easily available to them in supermarkets.

I date from the days when the government used to encourage pensioners to smoke in order to get rid off them off the pension! I remember as a youngster just after the war the pensioners got their pension plus a pipe tobacco allowance from the state, which annoyed the cigarette smokers because they did not get a cigarette alowance instead. However I always remember seeing a chap in hospital when I was young who had to have all his bottom lip cut away due to cancer of the lip through cigarette smoking.

The curbs proposed are to make it less attractive for youngsters to start, they know present users are already terminally addicted and will continue until death.

DaveW

[fuzzyedges]

If its true what they say AND I stress if it is true

Then the state spends a lot more on the resultant (not in all cases) health issues from smoking than is collected in tax

But if I use this argument against smoking I have to use it against non exercising, over eating or even going out in the cold not properly dressed, which then leads me into the area of me paying for my medical treatment because it was my own fault as well as tax

So weighing everything up I would vote for better information and some form of legistation for smoking free areas but not to the extent it is now and leave it at that

The plain wrapper with the stupid pictures that will be ignored and the entrapenure will clean up on cigerrette cases and the forger has an even easier job

As you say with Smoking declining and drinking declining so fuel tax went up strange that

I dont smoke by the way

By the way dave smoking was incouraged by the goverment in the rationing years to keep up your sugar level?? or was that another load of garbage they fed us

Edited December 1, 2012 by fuzzyedges

[Guest Salvatore]

Thanks to years of ignoring advice I now have lung disease.....

I'm not going to do the reformed smoker thing and put all the blame on my current health down to the cigarettes but I do believe smoking has certainly played its part.

Would I do the same over again ?

Probably....because that what addicts do.

And that's the word that really bites home and tells it how it is ..'Addiction'

Taken me a long time and serious illness in order to take stock and kick the weed.

I'm proud of my achievement and the fact I'm still around now to enjoy grandchildren etc , etc.

[Phil]

Rest assured, smoking is good for you.

[Guest DaveW]

Evidently they rot your boots though Phil!

As to alcohol, a friend of mine died from cirrhosis of the liver.

http://www.gastro.net.au/diets/alcohol.html

DaveW

[fuzzyedges]

My father told me that camel ciggerettes gave away a free razor blade with each packet (could you imagine that today)

He assured me it was to be used after smoking one to cut your own throat

Phils image reminded me of that

[FUJI]

My father........smoked......died aged just 57 yrs, heart disease.

Mother smoked.....died aged 68 .....heart disease.

Brothers smoked.....No. 1 died lung cancer, No. 2 died, lung cancer &heart disease......3 has throat cancer and heart disease ...still smokes.

sister......smoked....died aged 54 ......Heart disease.

First cousin smoked.......died from throat cancer aged 59.

I have witnessed far too many if my immediate family and friends suffer greatly as a direct result of smoking.....so detest it.

Never smoked in my life............and never will.

Smoking should be banned.

I'm the number one Grinch about tobacco.

[annie]

my father smoked..died at 91....mother still enjoys a puff off of someones tab if you let her....she is still kicking at 99...

[Korky]

Do I smoke? No. But I think I may give it a wazz after seeing this......

Korky

[Guest DaveW]

Smoking and drinking related diseases may also may have some genetic component to them. Some people are naturally more resistant to substances than others and live to a ripe old age, or other things may kill them before tobacco and alcohol does. However you may be one of the less genetically resistant ones where it significantly shortens your life and leads to a horrible death. Nobody knows if they will be the one until it is too late, therefore it's simply a question of it you want to do it since nobody needs to smoke or drink alcohol. If you must, less is always better than more!

We all have to die from something, the question is how quickly do you want to go and are you prepared to tempt fate to find out?

DaveW

Edited December 1, 2012 by DaveW

[fuzzyedges]

The nugget of this disscusion is not is smoking / drinking bad for you but should it be up to you to decide your own life course or should someone else decide it for you

I for one prefer to plough my own furrow and do it the best I can with the advice available, rather than having the plough taken off me

Edited December 1, 2012 by fuzzyedges

[Guest DaveW]

Agreed Fuzzy, it's whether your actions impinge on anybody else, like passive smoking, or cigarette ends littering the streets and drunks driving or roaming the streets throwing cans or smashing bottles, then others also should have a say. As long as your actions involve nobody else, or cost them extra money like having to support your family if you die early through their taxes, then it is entirely your own affair

DaveW

[JohnP]

Smoking and drinking related diseases may also may have some genetic component to them. Some people are naturally more resistant to substances than others and live to a ripe old age, or other things may kill them before tobacco and alcohol does. However you may be one of the less genetically resistant ones where it significantly shortens your life and leads to a horrible death. Nobody knows if they will be the one until it is too late, therefore it's simply a question of it you want to do it since nobody needs to smoke or drink alcohol. If you must, less is always better than more!

We all have to die from something, the question is how quickly do you want to go and are you prepared to tempt fate to find out?

DaveW

... brilliant Dave... love it... I'm just at the end of a bottle of Blossom Hill... so I couldn't care less about what tomorrow may bring.

[JohnP]

I'm just about to enjoy a cigar I brought back from Cuba to top it off... :thumbup:

[JohnP]

BTW... this is the best thread I've ever started... far more replies than I ever get for my grotty photos... I think I'll give up photography... :lolu:

[colinb]

Personally I do think all this hiding and plain packets etc is silly and may be counter productive, makes it seem more daring to smoke the hidden weed?

And if I may a little story that is perhaps getting off topic but bear with me.

My elder brother or sister nor our mother or father ever smoked and I don’t either.

Mum died at the age of 63 from leukaemia 4 short months after being diagnosed, we don’t know why as there is no history of it in our family, our father died suddenly at the age of 86, whilst on the Isle of White with his girl friend. His heart burst after a blood clot travelled up from a thrombosis in his leg, he had been out the night before at a dinner dance. Both mum and dad were in good health for their age and we found it hard to believe when they gave mum 6 months to live.

My point here is mum spend 4 painful months of chemotherapy before her body gave up and we had to watch her slowly slipping away, smoking my be seriously bad for your health it may be the cause of your death but if its what YOU enjoy I’m not going to suggest you should stop all I know is I would rather go suddenly like my father doing something I enjoy.

[Guest DaveW]

"brilliant Dave... love it... I'm just at the end of a bottle of Blossom Hill... so I couldn't care less about what tomorrow may bring."

So you will be doing no further posts from tomorrow then John, where do we send the flowers?

DaveW

Edited December 2, 2012 by DaveW

[Leon]

I have never smoked properly, did some naughty herbs as a youngster, I agree with the public smoking ban, it was never nice after a night out being a non smoker going home stinking of smoke! let alone other peoples fag burns in MY clothes

and now what we have is a group of people holding fags at kids head height blowing smoke in our faces, I realise its a personal choice and if you want to smoke it's fine but a little consideration to non smokers (especially kids) would be nice?

and fag butts really really annoy me, I don't EVER drop litter, why should smokers?

Edited December 2, 2012 by mrwall

[JohnP]

"brilliant Dave... love it... I'm just at the end of a bottle of Blossom Hill... so I couldn't care less about what tomorrow may bring."

So you will be doing no further posts from tomorrow then John, where do we send the flowers?

DaveW

I'm still here Dave... :thumbsup:

[annie]

this is no word of a lie..............a friend of my niece had a heart attack, the doctor told him to give up gambling, as it was the most likely cause of his very high blood pressure...not the drink or ciggies............that was three weeks ago!

[JohnP]

As I only smoke 2 or 3 cigars a month I think I'd better stop buying any more when I go on my hols...

I didn't bring many back from Cuba... shame cos they were good and they have all gone up in smoke now.