Banning smoking is yet another action of the nanny state - too much emphasis on one set of people's rights over those of another set.

If the Government would only come out with what we all know is the truth, i.e.-

"Smoking kills people, we're fed up with it... So you must all stop."

I'd have a lot more respect for them...

However, as any fule no, Gordon Brown and chums rake in a massive wodge of cash from taxing the hapless addictees. If one were addicted to Heroin, an illegal substance, one signs up to a rehab clinic and can pick up Methodone for nothing. If one is addicted to totally legal tobacco the Govt. says "Right, we'll have 80% of your cash in tax thanks very much." {source}

The problem here is that the Govt. also forks out a sizeable chunk of cash in order to pay for smoking related diseases - fair enough then that the activity should be taxed... However, the disparity between the two figures reveals a little too much of what I believe the Govt.'s agenda is. The revenue from tobacco is much much larger than the expenditure, which is good... it can pay for all the officials required to administer both the taxation, customs control and healthcare for smokers - right? Well, ish. I mean the NHS is a pile of bobbins and this so-called Labour Govt. has done little to actually improve the quality in real terms. So, money's going in but not much is coming out - ergo the people in power are doing something else with it.

What I suggest is that the Government fences off all the revenue from smokers and pumps it back into society in ways calculated to offset the proven damage that smoking does. A large amount should also be given to HM Customs & Excise in order to eradicate the bootlegging of cigarettes.

Another thought I had was that if the Govt. can force businesses to cater for disabled people, by altering entrances and so forth - why can't they force businesses which allow smoking to provide an area either specifically for non-smokers, or {more sensibly given that smokers represent only 20% of the population} a designated area for smokers with Air-Con etc?