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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics

Isn’t it daft to let a 50-year-old smoke but not someone aged 44?

Kemi Badenoch Chris Whitty Smoking
UK - Transport - Coming & Going, traveling in London in 1976Smoking carriage, piccadily line underground. Smoking was allowed in certain carriages in trains until 9 July 1984. In the middle of 1987 smoking was banned for a six-month trial period in all parts of the Underground, and the ban was made permanent after the major King's Cross fire in November 1987. Coming and Going is a project commissioned by the Museum of London for photographer Barry Lewis in 1976 to document the transport system as it is used by passengers and commuters using public transp (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images) Smoking on the underground
Smoking was allowed on the London Underground until 1987. Photograph: Barry Lewis/Corbis/Getty Images

I read Prof Chris Whitty’s article with interest (This new bill could wipe out smoking – the only losers would be those who profit from it, 16 April). I have the utmost respect for his medical expertise; I have none. I am a former smoker who started young. I do not oppose legislation to bring about behavioural change, in general. But the prospect in 30 years’ time of a 50-year-old having to buy cigarettes for a 44-year-old is a practical nonsense. Either ban smoking, or don’t – I can see no justification for the law in the future seeing a 50-year-old as competent to understand the risks of smoking and buy tobacco, but not a 44-year-old.

We know already from the war on drugs (among other things) that the end result of prohibition is a black market; this will be as true for cigarettes for younger generations as it is for recreational drugs now. How much police time and money will then be wasted trying to crack down on that market in the future?

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