In arguments about the merits of restricting smoking, libertarians lose hands down. The “nanny state” has the weight of science, common sense, and, nowadays, public opinion behind it. Compulsory seat belts in cars and helmets for motorcyclists were also opposed by a noisy libertarian minority, but who now argues that the clock should be turned back?

The facts are against Big Tobacco. In the UK, an estimated 76,000 deaths a year are caused by smoking. As early as 1950 an Oxford epidemiologist, Richard Doll, established the link between smoking and cancer (the good doctor immediately quit the habit) and, despite the well-funded efforts of tobacco companies to conceal the truth, no one with a shred of scientific credibility has ever contested his findings. Two out of three people who don’t manage to give up smoking die prematurely. Smoking is responsible for nine out of 10 cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The annual bill to an already stretched National Health Service is counted in billions.

QOSHE - Warning: Banning Smoking Can Endanger Your Political Health - Martin Ivens
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Warning: Banning Smoking Can Endanger Your Political Health

19 3
20.04.2024

In arguments about the merits of restricting smoking, libertarians lose hands down. The “nanny state” has the weight of science, common sense, and, nowadays, public opinion behind it. Compulsory seat belts in cars and helmets for motorcyclists were........

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