Tobacco control: Forest video urges public to fight EC proposals
Monday, December 13, 2010 Here it is ... the campaign video to promote Forest's online petition to oppose further EU-wide tobacco controls. It features Mark Littlewood (Institute of Economic Affairs), Dr Eamonn Butler (Adam Smith Institute), Niki Haywood (National Federation of Retail Newsagents) and David Bowden (Institute of Ideas).
The main video is 2:45 minutes long. It's followed by one or two outtakes that demonstrate that, well, no-one's perfect.
If you haven't signed the online petition please do so now. By midnight last night 1,118 people had signed it.
PS. If you have a blog or website feel free to post the video. The embedded code is on YouTube.
Simon Clark
Iain Dale has the video on his blog: Freedom for Smokers: Sign the Petition . He's getting a bit of stick in the comments (I suspect the hand of ASH) so you may wish to support him.
Simon Clark
Tory Outcast has also posted the video.
Simon Clark
The video has also been posted on the Adam Smith Institute blog where Sam Bowman writes:
Forest, the lobby group which defends the right to smoke, has put together the above video criticizing the EU's proposals to try to disrupt smokers' lives by banning cigarette displays in shops and, incredibly, introduce plain packaging rules to cigarettes. The question of whether you enjoy smoking or not is irrelevant – what matters is that adults are allowed to make their own decisions without meddling from the government. Unfortunately the EU seems to have no regard for civil liberties – their consultation document, outlining the arguments for and against smoking restrictions, doesn't mention these concerns at all.
Simon Clark
Dick Puddlecote has something to say, in his own inimitable way .... so too Mark Littlewood (on Facebook):
Thanks too to Pat Nurse for promoting the video/petition.
Simon Clark
A further 271 people signed the petition yesterday. By the end of the day (Monday) the total was 1,389.
Reader Comments (13)
What no car chase!! (already posted on my facebook page.. hope it gets out there!)
This proposed ban is proof positive that this has nothing to do with health, but with Nicotine Replacement "Therapy" (NRT) producer's inability to compete with tobacco products and the enjoyment and socialization they enable as compared with their smokeless gums, candies, and inhalers.
That this proposed ban seeks to ban all smokeless tobacco should be obvious evidence that the NRT/Pharma industry has their hands all over this and wants people on their smokeless synthesized and toxic nicotine products, which we do not in fact know the safety of. I'm hearing tales of gastric problems, oral sores, and hair loss and serious addiction to pleasureless NRT when I ask people about their experiences with NRT.
If public display of tobacco products is banned, then public dislplay of equally (or even more addictive) NRT products should also be banned in order to prevent young children from knowing of these products or being attracted by the colorful boxes.
In past times doctors reccommended tobacco products and now, we have Big NRT being promoted by doctors too. Those transdermal nicotine patches increase the likelihood of heart attack by three times when adminstered to emergency room patients (in the U.S.) .
Is the nicotine in NRT oxidised and converted into nicotinic acid as with tobacco? If it's not, then it's toxic.
It's essential to continue to fight for our right to use tobacco, because it also protects us from the dangers posed to our children by NRT products and the dangers of a blackmarket culture, which has no respect for our children or our communities. I'd rather have a world of happy tobacco smokers, than a world of lonely nicotine chewers.
Keep up the good fight. This isn't merely about tobacco. And as an outsider (American) I'm so proud of you and your spirit, which is much higher and much less apathetic than here. It may not feel like it to you, but you're much further along in the battle than we are here and it's because of your positive and kind and realistic spirit. God bless you and guide you. Your freedom is also the world's.
Following American Melville and to use one of the country's phrases, I think the EU have really let it all hand out. The link below is Dan Hannan MEP speaking in the EU Parliament lamenting that pharmaceutical companies lobbied the EU to restrict the sale of herbal medicines. Mrs. Hannan apparently "swears by them" but the EU still went ahead.
The banning of smokeless tobacco no doubt is big pharma in lobbying mood again. It confirms that all the proposals are not evidence based, health is not really issue but control. If I was the CEO of a tobacco company I would buy an electronic cigarette company and lobby to allow the sale of snus This would allow them to take over the high ground and offer a complete range of nicotine based products.
However in tobacco control when was objectivity important?
http://playpolitical.typepad.com/uk_conservative/2010/11/daniel-hannan-expresses-concern-at-the-introduction-of-european-regulations-on-herbal-medicines-.html
Excellent video.
and BTW, hadn't noticed before what attractive dimples you have, Simon ;)
Dave A
As tobacco is an ancient and much revered herbal medicine, it became obvious that while anti-tobacco made all the headlines, the pharmaceutical companies were busy having public access to the other, less famous, ancient herbal medicines quietly legislated away.
Traditional and Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/sep/14/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth
I think that in April the public will wake up to what they have lost, whilst they were being distracted by ASH's song and dance.
Time then to ban alcohol free beer and wine - I mean it's clearly not about if the product harms - but what it enables... ie people to enjoy a reasonable substitute where the real thing is not permitted...? Nothing to do with health AT ALL
Smokeless tobacco. Does this mean i can't take snuff? recommended to me by a surgeon friend a cure for blocked sinuses.
i would like to know if this ban includes snuff as well ?
probably means just snus thou
I'm in. :)
John and gegmg: Yes, it includes snuff. Nasal cancer, see?
Have just been over to Ian Dale - sems to me that people who enjoy tobacco are keeping their end up perfectly satisfactorily!
Radio 4 (unless I was dreaming) has just announced the partial lifting of the Ban in Holland. Unlike Nick Clegg, Santa Claus DOES listen occasionally, it seems. But how will this play with the Brussels Goon Squad, I wonder? And may we expect more of the same from the BBC's Perception Management (Health) Team? Keep posting YOUR requests to Santa. You never know...
Interesting sentence on Ian Dale's blog today.
"Another post in the last few days has caused an unfortunate situation too with a potential advertising client."
Who would be surprised if it turned out to be the one supporting FOREST? I can think of some advertisers who would be angry about it as well, mostly large charities.