A referendum to abolish smoking?

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For years now, successive governments have preached to us about the perils of smoking, have gradually raised taxes on it, and introduced more and more restrictions.  We get the idea.  Smoking is at the lowest level it has been for nearly a century. 

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But it is still a nuisance.

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As a general rule, I am opposed to trying to ban something just because I don't like it - it violates my belief that we should promote freedom in this country and not be forced into doing this or that just because someone thinks it's good for us.  But smoking is different - for two reasons.  Firstly, it's not a choice, but an addiction. You only have to observe the agitation of smokers waiting for the opportunity to get outside for a cigarette, or the speed at which smokers light up as they leave a building.  You only have to watch smokers outside a pub smoking in the rain, huddled up to a wall for a bit of shelter, to question that they are doing it through choice.   And, most telling of all, a large fraction of smokers admit they want to give it up, but can't.  Secondly, it's not a personal thing - it affects everybody.  A single person smoking in a room pollutes the atmosphere for everybody.  In fact, even if that person goes outside to smoke, they pollute the room when they come back in.  And what about smokers in the doorways to restaurants?

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It's time to make the final step in cutting smoking - to ban it altogether.  The health arguments are indisputable, and the nuisance arguments are just as strong.  Then there are the fires caused by discarded matches most notably the King's Cross fire, the expense of providing 'smoking shelters', and the drain on parents' pockets when they should be providing food for their children.

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Against that is the fact that the taxes on cigarettes provide revenue for the government (without which we might be paying more in income tax, for example) and the money saved in pensions or elderly care because smokers tend to die a bit younger.

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Banning smoking is not a decision that government or even parliament should make on their own - and I doubt that they would want to anyway.  It's time to ask the people.  I suspect that if a referendum were to be held to abolish smoking, it would be supported overwhelmingly - and a good many smokers would back it too.

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If passed, a ban would have to be introduced carefully, to take account of the withdrawal symptoms that smokers would suffer.  You can't outlaw it overnight.  But all it takes is a decision from the people - leave the practicalities to those who are paid to make things happen - civil servants, the NHS, etc.

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On a secondary issue, I think we should also have a referendum on vaping - it's less harmful than smoking, but still a nuisance.  Because a ban on smoking would inevitably lead to an increase in vaping, then we need to know where we stand on that.  Indeed, if we didn't already have a problem with smoking, then I doubt that vaping would ever have been allowed in the first place.  Do we want vaping to become the alternative to smoking?

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So, I suggest a referendum with two questions:

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Do you wish to ban smoking tobacco (in all its forms)?

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If so, do you wish to ban vaping (in all its forms)?

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In July, the Government pledged to eliminate smoking in England by 2030.  Is this fast enough?  What about other countries?

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What do you think?  You can comment via email or though the Contact page.