goddessxena

Health - Reuters

Britain's Top Doctor Calls for Smoking Ban
Thu Jul 3, 2003

By Richard Woodman

LONDON (Reuters Health) - Britain's chief medical officer on Thursday
called for laws banning smoking in public places, saying such a move
could be as effective in helping smokers quit as doubling taxes on
cigarettes.

To the delight of anti-smoking groups, Sir Liam Donaldson said it was
time to "get serious" about the dangers of passive smoking both at work
and in public places such as bars and restaurants.

He told a news conference in London such action is what the tobacco
industry feared most.

Hammering home his message, Donaldson listed some of the 150 known or
suspected cancer-causing chemicals and poisons present in second-hand
smoke -- including arsenic, rat poison and cyanide gas.

Donaldson said an estimated 3 million Britons become "passive smokers"
when they go to work. Bar workers, waiters and waitresses are
particularly vulnerable.

He criticized the "painfully slow" introduction of smoke-free policies
in bars and restaurants. In the whole of England there are fewer than 20
smoke-free pubs.

Studies show that the fears of people in the hospitality industry that
smoking bans would hit business are unfounded.

In the workplace some progress has been made in introducing smoke-free
policies, but half of the nation's workforce remains unprotected.

A ban on smoking at work would cut the proportion of Britons smoking
from 27 percent to 23 percent. "Such a big gain could only be achieved
through tax increases if the cost of cigarettes were doubled," he said.

Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "We
are delighted to hear the call on government to tackle smoking in public
places, including workplaces.

"We know that Big Tobacco has long feared action on second hand smoke.
The industry has continually attempted to stall the process of
implementing smoking bans on a global scale by muddying the waters about
the dangers of second hand smoke.


Deborah Arnott, director of the anti-tobacco campaigning group ASH,
said: "The government must listen to the Chief Medical Officer and move
to ban smoking in public places now.

"Smoke-free laws are needed to protect both the general public and
employees. Ventilation and partial smoking bans are not effective in
protecting people from the toxic and carcinogenic effects of tobacco
smoke."

steveb

GoddessXena <theNOgoddessSPAMxena@yahoo.com> lifted the trapdoor,

Yes well he would say that.

To tell the truth and say that doubling or trebling the taxes would
cut smoking, would cost him his job.

Successive governments (of both pursuasions) have introduced minor tax
rises year on year to raise revenue. And every year some *witless
wonder* proclaims that this will have a health benefit!

Hypocrisy....gotta love it

steveb

red robin

The raising of cigarette taxes here by a dollar have caused many
people I know to quit. Including me.

RR

steveb

Red Robin <beautifulcheese@shaw.ca> lifted the trapdoor, peered around

UK politicians (when not in office) have regularly admitted that they
couldn't easily replace the revenue raised if everyone was to
quit.....

I well remember people saying they would quit for sure when the price
reached £1 per packet.....well they are now £4.50 and rising....yet
still vast numbers of young people start smoking every year

There may indeed be people who quit when they go up a dollar...or a
few cents...but most don't. Hey...it's just a few more cents after
all. Politicians rely on this thinking...

There has been no concerted attempt by any UK government, ever, to
actively stop the UK population from smoking. Yet they talk every year
about the health benefit of paying just a little more tax!

Even in 2003, a shopkeeper caught selling cigarettes to a person under
the age of 16 can expect no more than a minor slap on the wrist. Is
this an example on how tough they are getting on smoking?

The fact that we have many non-smoking buildings and workplaces has
been driven not by government seeking to improve the health of the
nation...but by employers fearful of lawsuits brought by individuals
under health and safety at work legislation.

I'm pleased you have quit RR. Whatever your triggers and motives for
doing so....good on ya. But this is not the thinking at work in the UK
Treasury.

steveb

red robin

I think it was health driven. I know that over in Alberta it went even
further and prices went up to 10 a pack. I assume with such big leaps
that it was meant to get people to quit and not just get some money
from them.

RedRobin

andy m

Oops, it was Ipswich and it was 41%.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1180031.stm