Proposed UK tobacco ban

[warren]

Long road trips in England are not possible.

If you are behind a caravan....any travel in England will seem interminable. And, yes you are showing GB (Wales, NI and Scotland) as England.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

If you are behind a caravan....any travel in England will seem interminable. And, yes you are showing GB (Wales, NI and Scotland) as England.

Yep.

 

[georged]

Dear Mr George, D type,

Ireland is not in England.

A European.

PS - Geography not your strong point then lol.

Dear Mr. Wolf, London Type


You said a trip TO Ireland


Sincerely,

A United Statesian


PS --- Grammar is not your strong point, then (<<<< along with proper comma usage)

 

[Singularis]

Or goat sex.

 

[OzPiper]

Sounds like a boom in tobacco smuggling is about to be born.

Already happening in Oz with illegal cigarettes

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

Dear Mr. Wolf, London Type


You said a trip TO Ireland


Sincerely,

A United Statesian


PS --- Grammar is not your strong point, then (<<<< along with proper comma usage)

Right. You've totally check mated me with that. I'm snookered. It's a totally brain f*ck George. Ffs lol.

 

[georged]

Right. You've totally check mated me with that. I'm snookered.

Dear Mr. Wolf, London Type


What is this "snooker" of which you speak?


Sincerely,

A United Statesian

 

[woodsroad]

Comparing cannabis to tobacco is absurd.
Please be serious.

Consuming tobacco is a luxury, not a basic need therefore curbing its use is not a human rights abuse. Again, totally absurd.

UK is setting itself up for a massive tobacco black market. Perhaps private prisons are in your country’s future.

I see your point, but think differently. I see the ability to purchase goods as a direct connection to Liberty. Purchasing goods is the corallary to the right to your own labor and to reap the benefits thereof. So, while smoking may not immediately evidence itself as a human right, having the ability to do so is freedom incarnate.

 

[woodsroad]

Dear Mr. Wolf, London Type


What is this "snooker" of which you speak?


Sincerely,

A United Statesian

It’s like pool.

(15 points to the person that gets the far-fetched paraphrased association)

 

[Auxsender]

Sorry skipped a step there-

I think geo group is based in the UK. They're there already.

Bummer. In my opinion, incarceration for profit and shareholder value only leads to bad things.

 

[georged]

I see your point, but think differently. I see the ability to purchase goods as a direct connection to Liberty. Purchasing goods is the corallary to the right to your own labor and to reap the benefits thereof. So, while smoking may not immediately evidence itself as a human right, having the ability to do so is freedom incarnate.

These gentleman would like a word with you.

Please step into that van over there.

(No, there's nothing to worry about, it's just a conversation best held in a private, quiet place.)

 

[Auxsender]

Is free choice not a human right?

It is mostly but I can understand why, in a country with universal, tax funded healthcare, the establishment would strive to curb or end the use of a product that kills tens of thousands of people per year.

I dunno man, removal of tobacco from society doesn’t seem smart to me but I also can’t wrap my mind around it as a human rights abuse.

 

[bullet08]

Just means the government will be losing out on the tax they can collect. I'm sure the black market will be booming.

 

[warren]

Human Rights....An ethereal concept that is fun to play around with in one's mind. In reality, only governments, benevolent or not, can bestow and take away rights. Any law enacted enhances some folks rights while, at the same time, restricts the rights of others. Those being adversely affected will be resentful. While those being empowered will be ecstatic.

A lot of heavy words have been written about the sanctity of "human rights." Many constitutions use the term sometimes observing God provides certain rights. When a country ages "rights" are often redefined or, even eliminated.

The old adage regarding "who's ox is being gored" is indeed a....truism.

 

[OzPiper]

Just means the government will be losing out on the tax they can collect. I'm sure the black market will be booming.

As the Oz Government has been finding out these past 3 fiscal years

In March 2025 a pack of 20 cigarettes was over AUD$40 ie AUD$2 per stick.
While a pouch of 25gm RYO was @AUD$78

A pack of black market cigarettes was AUD$14

The excise on tobacco was set to rise recently

 

[warren]

In March 2025 a pack of 20 cigarettes was over AUD$40 ie AUD$2 per stick.
While a pouch of 25gm RYO was @AUD$78

Sounds akin to New York City. Cigarettes are purchased on Indian reservations and sold, often as single sticks, on the street. Last I heard they were going for a dollar a cigarette.

 

[neildowne]

Human rights need to be separated from natural rights, or "god given" rights.
In the founding documents of the US, we were not GIVEN rights, our rights, that we ALREADY had, were guaranteed. The founding fathers put many of those in the constitution, but some were left out because they believed it was unnecessary. The 2nd amendment was almost not added because several of the founders believed it too absurd there would ever come a time that people wouldn't be allowed to protect themselves with arms.
Some of the other natural rights were also thought to absurd to put into the bill of rights......like using plants as medicine. Native Americans used tobacco as medicine for thousands of years. "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a phrase from the Declaration of Independence which exemplifies three UNALIENABLE rights given to us by our creator....according to the founders.
Although not codified into law, these natural rights have been used in several SCOTUS cases.
We still use the old English laws that basically say, if im not hurting you, or harming your unalienable rights, all is good.
If banning tobacco is ok, what's next?
Sugar? Alcohol? Sex? Motor vehicles? Rocks? Sticks? Big dogs?
As the SCOTUS has said in several cases over decades they must weigh people's unalienable rights with public saftey. They usually lean towards the unalienable rights. Otherwise what IS stopping them from banning ANYTHING dangerous or harmful.

Absolutetly, where does it end?

A tobacco ban is tip of the iceberg for us.
The ban on tobacco will enable the UK government to then realise the gen pop took this so let's ban anything we don't agree with.

We may as well all go live with Kim Jong and the gang

 

[JOHN72]

say what you want about Muslim countries, but they’d probably be among the last to ban tobacco

Yes, Islamic laws are very peculiar; they don't want to leave the 7th century behind. Because by this rule of three, we should be feeding ourselves on atoms from the sun and drinking distilled water for truck batteries.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

Dear Mr. Wolf, London Type


What is this "snooker" of which you speak?


Sincerely,

A United Statesian

Snooker is like the game you call 8-ball, only for grown ups. I don't think you'd like it to be honest George, in snooker you have to stick to the rules. You wouldn't be able to make the rules up as you go along, like you do with geography and grammar. For instance, the red ball would always be the red ball. You wouldn't alas, be allowed to suddenly declare it the blue ball because the situation suited you. Nor would you be able to pick the balls up and place them willy-nilly around the table, deciding which space they should occupy on the table (we know you have a fondness for this type of tomfoolery). Maybe stick to 8-ball George.

 

[georged]

Snooker is like the game you call 8-ball, only for grown ups. I don't think you'd like it to be honest George, in snooker you have to stick to the rules. You wouldn't be able to make the rules up as you go along, like you do with geography and grammar. For instance, the red ball would always be the red ball. You wouldn't alas, be allowed to suddenly declare it the blue ball because the situation suited you. Nor would you be able to pick the balls up and place them willy-nilly around the table, deciding which space they should occupy on the table (we know you have a fondness for this type of tomfoolery). Maybe stick to 8-ball George.

I already knew was snooker was, of course.

It's just a funny sounding word---and the game so veddy British---that I wanted to see how you described it.

You did not disappoint.

(Best get your playing in while you can, BTW. It's haram.)