Johnny Little

Should you have the right to smoke? Should Scotland follow England’s proposed smoking restrictions and even a full on ban? With only 2 out of 14 Scottish health boards hitting their target for smokers quitting, questions arise as to the governments ability to enact a ban, and the public’s willingness to abide:

Members of that public gave their views on smoking and if the right to smoke should persist:

There are strong defenders of the right to smoke in the UK. Simon Clark, director of Forest (Freedom Organisation for the right to enjoy smoking tobacco), expressed his disdain for the possible ban and the effects of it:

‘There are still millions of people who enjoy smoking and get pleasure from smoking.’

‘It will create a massive black market in cigarettes and tobacco. Prohibition rarely works’

‘You are infantilising young adults. You can vote, you can drive a car you can join the army. If you’re legally an adult, you should be treated like an adult.’

With the possibility of Scotland following England’s plan which would raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year, every year, Clark comments on the future of the potential restrictions.

‘The reason you see the Scottish government really not doing anything, because they’re waiting to see the outcome in Westminster.’

Clark also believes that the potential restrictions such as increased pricing on smoking is discriminatory to those of working class, with tax on tobacco rising by an additional 10% this year:

‘We’ve often said the war in tobacco is a war on working class people.’

‘People working in public health are middle class do-gooders who want to make people to quit smoking whether they want too or not’

With this right to smoke, comes the inevitable reality of its effects on health and the public interest. Clare McCool, Team leader of NHS Lanarkshire’s Alcohol Harms and Other Substances, expressed these effects and the need for restrictions:

‘People can make choices but we also need to protect people. I think we’ve done that quite well in Scotland’

‘There’s nothing good about smoking at all. In terms of the impact it has on health on both young people and adults, and environmental.’

With 7% of 15 year olds being regular smokers, McCool spoke further on future policy and the affect on the next generation of potential smokers:

‘In terms of our future generations, we need to make it less attractive and also have the option not so much there for them.’

Regarding the increased price of tobacco to make smokers to quit, which many organisations are in favour of, McCool believes this is for the best:

‘The cost of smoking has risen quite significantly, which is good in terms of prevention.‘

‘There’s no good in it. It’s not like we can see there’s any benefit to it.’

More than 11% of adults in Scotland are still smoking, and with mounting pressure on the Scottish Government to follow Westminster’s restrictions on the activity, the debate between this civil liberty and its negative affects, continues.

Click here to access information to quit smoking

Click here to read more about Forest