Should we ban smoking in UK? – Allen Carr’s Easyway on GB News
Global CEO, Senior Therapist, & co-author of Allen Carr books, John Dicey talked to Mark Dolan on GB News about proposals being considered in UK to ban anyone born after 2010 from ever buying cigarettes.
Cigarettes banned for anyone born after 2010!
Global CEO, Senior Therapist, & co-author of Allen Carr books, John Dicey talked to Mark Dolan on GB News about proposals being considered in UK to ban anyone born after 2010 from ever buying cigarettes.
Proposals being considered in UK to ban anyone born after 2010 from ever buying cigarettes
On the face of it – it doesn’t seem a terrible idea – another attempt to make smoking obsolete through the passage of time. That said, no matter what your age, in the UK illicit drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin and the like are easily obtained – so what chance is there to prevent the same being true of cigarettes when young teenagers think about smoking in a few years’ time – or even when they get to their late teens?
Prohibition doesn’t work
Time and time again prohibition has failed to achieve its objective and strengthened the hand of modern-day smugglers, under the counter profiteers, and criminal gangs. Wouldn’t it be better to provide current smokers with exciting, dynamic, clinically proven alternatives to the usual nicotine patches & gum, e-cigarettes, and other pharmacological quit smoking aids whilst simultaneously educating youngsters about the nature of addiction. If you could explain to a mouse that a cheese laden trap is simply a lure designed to climax with its certain death – there’s no way, it would go anywhere near it. Understanding how addiction works is one of the most empowering lessons a youngster can learn.
Increase the price of cigarettes
In Australia – the cost of pack of cigarettes can be in excess of £20/US$27 – the strategy appears to be a proven one – linking the increase in pack price to a decrease in smoking rates. Again, it becomes very hard to factor in black market sales of cigarettes which are energetically encouraged by this policy. Do sales of illicit or counterfeit cigarettes increase at the same rate as official retail sales fall? Who knows – but again – this hits less well-off smokers the hardest – when all they really need – is to be offered exciting, dynamic, clinically proven quit smoking alternatives to nicotine patches & gum, e-cigarettes, and other pharmacological options – most of which they’ve tried, and failed with already?
A brave new world of addiction
Big Tobacco, or to be more accurate Big Nicotine’s long-term fortunes are protected by a burgeoning vaping market – one which they intend to exploit without mercy. Either way – the government wins – the billions raised in taxes through tobacco sales will soon be replaced by new nicotine product/device sales and the price of those is set to go in one direction – up!
It’s time to stop pushing smokers around
Rather than banning smoking or making it ever more difficult for smokers to smoke – it’s surely better to ensure that they are offered the most effective ways of stopping smoking whilst educating youngsters on how to avoid falling into addiction.
John Dicey, Global CEO & Senior Therapist, Allen Carr’s Easyway was interviewed by the brilliant Mark Dolan on GB News about the prospect of age-restricted cigarette sales.
