Smoking and constipation
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 The Health Bill, which includes the government's plan to ban the display of tobacco in shops, is currently at the Grand Committee stage in the House of Lords.
Yesterday was Day 5. I rather liked this contribution from Lord Stoddart:
"I think that the tobacco manufacturers and others who are concerned with the sale of tobacco should know where they are going. A 10-year programme would help those organisations and would necessitate a thorough examination into all the claims that are made about tobacco, for and against. For example, we could establish what information was accurate and what information was not, and what science was good and what science was junk. There is quite a bit of junk science around the tobacco industry.
"We would have to consult all those people, including tobacco manufacturers and purveyors of tobacco, about what would happen to them and what they could do to help, and of course we would also have to consult the medical profession and statistical organisations. I think that we should also look at any benefits that there might be. I have to tell the Committee that, when I was very young and suffered from a bit of constipation, I went to see the doctor, who said, 'What you should do is sit on the lavatory and smoke a cigarette. That would help a lot.'
"However, that was a long time ago and I am still here. As I said, we should then be able to test all sorts of assertions."
You can read the debate online HERE. (You need to click on each new section of the debate.)
Reader Comments (3)
Constipation??? I never could give a sh*t about that subject...
Now Dave Stoddart is a different kettle of fish entirely. He has always been a staunch supporter of choice, and is, in my opinion, the most sensible Peer we have.
Thank you Lord S, for your continued clear thinking. I always enjoy reading Hansard after you have been speaking.
Keep fighting for us!!
It's true.
There's few cigarettes taste nicer than the one used to encourage a reluctant bowel-movement.
It's a double ahhh.
Don't know why it works, but it does. Better even than a motorbike mag.
Wimmins can be so unreasonable about this sort of thing.
I always knew that about constipation and smoking, in fact its so old as to be in the old wives tale category.
Very true when Lord Stoddart says about purveyors of tobacco and what would happen to them, because a lot of consultants who are employed to write reports by whatever manufacturers, soon find out that they had better write what their employer want to hear and comply with their agendas.
Otherwise the threats and god knows what else start coming.
Its a very difficult task to deal with and a 10 examination as Lord Stoddart suggests would'nt be too long.