Just when you think Rishi Sunak couldn’t be any more stupid.
Rishi Sunak is considering introducing some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking measures that would in effect ban the next generation from ever being able to buy cigarettes, the Guardian has learned.
Whitehall sources said the prime minister was looking at measures similar to those brought in by New Zealand last December. They involved steadily increasing the legal smoking age so tobacco would end up never being sold to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
How’s that war on drugs going? Have they managed to stop the sales of marijuana or cocaine? What about heroin? Stopped that lately? FFS! Just when you think these deranged lunatics have hit peak stupid, they manage to come out with something even more risible.
It is understood Sunak’s leadership pledge to fine people £10 for missing a GP or hospital appointment may also be back on the table, although this could be politically difficult.
Christ almighty! The economy is tanking, the government is frankly unable to show any signs of sensible governance, and they are trying to micromanage our lives. As an aside, if the NHS makes appointments on my behalf as it has been doing lately, they can stick their fines where the sun don’t shine. I will only honour an appointment that I have mutually agreed. If they arbitrarily make an appointment for me, I am under no obligation to attend. In the meantime, the nagging texts about a covid vaccine seemed to have stopped. Looks like they gave up after all.
God, I hate politicians.
If we get fined for not showing up, do we get a refund if they cancel last minute. It doesn’t matter who you are, to go to a hospital appointment needs taking time off work, getting lifts, possibly rearranging child care, yet at the last minute it can be cancelled and the whole process has to start again.
I work in care and one resident had an appointment booked, due to his mental health, it took ages to arrange it, meant on our side managers had to get in early to administer meds to calm him down. On hospital side, several different departments were involved. All going well, then I get a message from the hospital, half an hour before they were due to leave, it had been cancelled as overnight A&E had taken too many beds and staff!!!!
That is just one incident, a few years back I had a minor procedure cancelled, assumed it had been rearranged when I get another date through. Took the day off work, unpaid, only to find it was the follow up of the procedure that was cancelled. To add insult to injury, as I’d shown up the computer believed I’d had the procedure and knocked me off the system. So back to bottom of the waiting list.
I’d actually been through pre-op when mine got cancelled.
When you know that the NZ law was passed by the Ardern government,you will understand that it will not do what is intended. Drugs are also unlawful here, but that does not stop a steady stream of them being available.
If by “drugs” you mean weed, party drugs and meth, then yes. Heroin is quite hard to get in NZ though. And cocaine isn’t in routine supply. NZ’s borders are pretty tight, so home grown/made drugs have always been predominant.
Ardern’s government could pass the anti-smoking legislation because NZ has a relatively unrestricted policy on vaping. That means that most Kiwi smokers will progress to being vapers, rather than going to black market cigarettes. It will barely affect the young, being as few of them smoke anyways.
Countries that tightly restrict cigarettes and also vapes are going to just encourage black markets in both though.
I would suggest that draconian anti smoking laws aren’t needed anyway. Smoking is becoming more and more unfashionable as time goes on. None of my daughter’s mid twenties contemporaries smoke, I never smoked, my two brothers did, one gave it up years ago and the other one has gone on to vaping.
An acquaintance of mine in the Philippines does a roaring trade mailing cigarettes to customers in Australia. If packages don’t arrive a replacement is sent free of charge, margins being what they are.
Maybe Rishi sees a future in cigarette smuggling post-premiership?
Well, at least the market solves that one John Galt.
But of course when the sin taxes go to the criminals rather than the state, your other taxes will go up. Plus more to (attempt to) police the new laws.
I am in New Zealand and in Marlborough (the top of the south island).
When I was looking for a rural property, the number of older properties I viewed with tobacco drying barns was about 60% to 75%. If they can grow cannabis in commercial quantities, then growing tobacco is a given. Taxing out of existence and banning legal tobacco will open up a gap in the market and without the tax etc. on tobacco, then you’ll be able to buy or grow it for cents on the dollar. Paradoxically, this may cause more smoking as home grown tobacco plummets in price and increases in availability.
Joined up thinking isn’t a feature of these numpties, is it?
These idiots think by banning something people will stop doing it. It actually makes it more attractive in some cases.