Callers react to pub garden smoking ban plan | LBC
Summary
TLDRThe transcript discusses the high taxes on cigarettes in the UK compared to Croatia, arguing that the tax revenue does not necessarily benefit the NHS. The conversation touches on the health risks of smoking, littering issues, and the responsibility of publicans to maintain cleanliness. It also debates the government's role in public health, suggesting a broader approach to harmful substances like alcohol and sugar, rather than focusing solely on smoking. The retired GP emphasizes the severe health consequences of smoking, with a significant number of smokers dying from smoking-related diseases.
Takeaways
- 💡 The price difference for cigarettes between Croatia and the UK is primarily due to tax, not manufacturing costs.
- 🚬 The high taxes on cigarettes in the UK are claimed to support the NHS, but the speaker questions whether it directly benefits the health service.
- 💸 The speaker argues that the tax revenue from cigarettes might be more than the healthcare costs they impose, suggesting smokers indirectly subsidize the NHS.
- 🤔 The speaker expresses sympathy for smokers struggling with addiction but also resents the litter they create.
- 🍺 The discussion extends to other public health issues like alcohol and sugar consumption, which also have significant impacts on the NHS.
- 🏖️ The speaker describes the littering behavior of smokers in public places, such as beer gardens and beaches, as 'disgusting'.
- 🚭 A suggestion is made to designate smoking areas in public places to mitigate the littering issue.
- 🚭 The speaker is not in favor of an outright ban on smoking in outdoor venues but acknowledges the rationale behind such measures.
- 🍹 The conversation highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to public health, addressing not just smoking but also alcohol and junk food.
- 👨⚕️ A retired GP emphasizes the high mortality rate among smokers, with 50% of them dying from smoking-related illnesses.
Q & A
How much can one save by purchasing cigarettes in Croatia compared to the UK, according to the speaker?
-The speaker indicates that a packet of cigarettes costs five Kuna in Croatia, which is significantly less than the £17 they would pay in the UK.
What does the speaker believe is the primary reason for the high cost of cigarettes in the UK?
-The speaker believes that the high cost is due to taxes, not the actual cost of the product, as the same brand and company are involved.
Does the speaker think the tax revenue from cigarettes goes directly to the NHS?
-No, the speaker clarifies that while the tax revenue goes to the government, it does not necessarily go directly to the NHS.
What is the speaker's personal stance on smoking?
-The speaker is a smoker who wishes they weren't and has tried to quit multiple times, acknowledging their addiction.
How does the speaker feel about the littering caused by cigarette butts?
-The speaker expresses strong resentment towards the littering caused by cigarette butts, citing examples such as beer gardens and beaches.
What solution does the speaker propose for the issue of cigarette butts in beer gardens?
-The speaker suggests designating a specific area of the beer garden for smokers, so that non-smokers can occupy the rest of the space.
What is the speaker's opinion on banning smoking outright in outdoor venues?
-The speaker is not in favor of an outright ban but believes in providing alternatives and considering broader public health discussions, including alcohol and junk food.
What does the retired GP mention about the health risks of smoking?
-The retired GP states that out of 100 smokers, 50 will die as a direct result of their smoking habit, indicating a significant health risk.
What is the speaker's view on the government's role in regulating smoking and other health risks?
-The speaker believes that if the government is going to regulate smoking, it should also address other health risks like alcohol and junk food in a comprehensive manner.
What is the speaker's opinion on personal freedom regarding lifestyle choices like smoking?
-The speaker values personal freedom and does not want everyone to be treated as if they are automatons, suggesting a nuanced view on lifestyle choices.
What is the speaker's stance on the argument that smokers subsidize the NHS through taxes?
-The speaker disagrees with the argument, stating that the taxes paid by smokers do not necessarily benefit the NHS and that the health costs of smoking outweigh the tax revenue.
Outlines
🚬 Smoking and Taxation: A Personal Perspective
The speaker begins by sharing a personal experience of the significant price difference for cigarettes in Croatia compared to the UK, highlighting the impact of taxation. They argue that while taxes on cigarettes are high, the funds do not necessarily go directly to the NHS but to the government. The speaker, a smoker, expresses a desire to quit and acknowledges the health risks associated with smoking. They also discuss the economic argument that the taxes paid by smokers outweigh the costs to the NHS, suggesting that the NHS would be worse off without smokers. The speaker also touches on the social aspect of smoking, expressing frustration with littering by smokers and suggesting designated areas for smokers in public places.
🍺 Public Health and Personal Freedom: A Debate
This paragraph continues the discussion on public health, focusing on the broader context beyond smoking. The speaker argues for a comprehensive approach to public health issues, mentioning alcohol and sugar consumption as examples of behaviors that also negatively impact health and the NHS. They advocate for consistency in addressing public health concerns, suggesting that if measures are taken against smoking, similar actions should be considered for alcohol and junk food. The speaker also brings up the cultural aspect of smoking, using Cuba as an example, and emphasizes the importance of personal freedom. A retired GP contributes by sharing a statistic that 50% of smokers will die prematurely due to their habit, reinforcing the health risks. The conversation concludes with a debate on the possibility of banning cigarettes completely, with the speaker expressing support for measures to reduce smoking but also acknowledging the complexity of the issue.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cigarette Tax
💡NHS
💡Smoking Addiction
💡Littering
💡Public Health
💡Alcohol
💡Sugar Consumption
💡Nanny State
💡Freedom of Choice
💡Carcinogens
💡Chemical Compounds
Highlights
The price difference for a packet of cigarettes between Croatia and the UK is due to tax, not manufacturing costs.
Tax revenue from cigarettes does not necessarily go to the NHS, despite popular belief.
The tax paid on cigarettes outweighs the NHS costs associated with smoking-related illnesses.
The argument that smokers cost the government and NHS more money is debunked.
The speaker, a smoker, expresses a desire to quit smoking.
Cigarette smoke contains harmful compounds, including carcinogens.
The discussion includes the negative impact of smoking on public health and littering.
The suggestion that a designated smoking area in beer gardens could reduce litter.
The idea that public health discussions should not focus solely on smoking but also on alcohol and sugar consumption.
The speaker's concern about the littering habits of smokers, particularly in public places like beaches.
The responsibility of pub owners to maintain cleanliness in their establishments.
The potential for a ban on smoking in outdoor venues and the speaker's mixed feelings about such a measure.
The comparison of the health risks associated with smoking to those of alcohol and sugar consumption.
The speaker's belief in personal freedom and the importance of not treating people like 'automatons'.
The retired GP's point that 50% of smokers will die as a direct result of their habit.
The presence of the carcinogen 'Fenine' in cigarette smoke, explained with a chemistry background.
The potential benefits of starting to drink alcohol later in life, according to some studies.
Transcripts
my wife is Croatian I've just been out
into Croatia uh just come back a few
days ago I can buy a packet of M or what
won't mention a name but I can buy a
packet of cigarettes out in in in
Croatia for
five5 um I could pay the same over here
for
£17 now that difference is just purely
tax it's got nothing to do with that
it's the same same company same brand
same everything it's just purely tax now
all that money is going to the NHS well
to to the government in tax yeah it's
not necessarily going to the NHS is it
it's going to the government but not
necessarily to the NHS no but if you
consider the amount of tax that is being
paid on those cigarettes to the amount
that costs the NHS um for treatment and
as your previous caller was saying smok
I'm a smoker and I wish I wasn't to be
perfectly honest I try to give up God
know how many times um um but I'm weak
world and i' I've s succumbed to it over
many many years and um but if you add up
the amount that is paid in tax to
compared to the amount that is um uh on
abundance to the NHS for smokers smokers
completely outweigh the amount that is
paid to the amount they cost so when you
bring up this argument of oh it cost it
cost the government more money and it
cost the NHS more money that is a load
of rubbish that is just using tactics
and using figures to twist in whichever
they will to make it to their advantage
it is not a saving to the NH the NHS
would be in a worse state if there
weren't smokers because the amount of
tax that comes into the government that
they can use towards the nhhs wouldn't
be there I'm trying to feel sympathetic
towards smokers who are obviously
addicted so that's one side of the coin
but the other side of the coin is my
parents used to smoke and I used to
remind them that there were dogs in
Laboratories having cigarettes stuffed
up their nose uh to prove whether
smoking gives you a cancer or not and we
know that it does and apart from all of
that I I just resent the litter that is
produced by smokers I was saying to your
um colleague that you go to um a a beer
garden there are cigarette butts all
underneath the table if I had a little
toddler who wanted to walk around I
would not want them to walk around in
that environment so I would avoid it you
get cigarette butts stuffed down the
cracks between the tables um I mean I'm
really it really upsets me and you go to
the beach people smoke and bury their
cigarettes in the sand it's just
disgusting litter Heather with regards
but with regards to the Beer Garden and
cigarette butts littering the place I
mean that's on the Publican isn't it
that's on the owner of the uh of the pub
for not cleaning the place up
sufficiently well actually you're
probably right but on the other hand
they probably wouldn't come out in the
evening while people are enjoying their
drinks and sweep up around their feet so
you just come to the table after the
person before you has smoked and left
their their cigarette butts um I I guess
that's how it operates what would you
say if they said uh we're going to
reserve one particular area of the beer
garden for smokers and everybody
everyone all the nonsmokers can occupy
the rest of it yeah I think that would
suit me just fine and then they can you
know live in their own litter for good
mistake all right so you're not kill
themselves while they're doing it you're
not vigorously embracing K st's proposal
then to ban it out right in outdoor
venues um I guess I'm not if there's a
good alternative to people like me um
equally I'm not totally again K sta
because what he says makes sense I don't
think it's being a nanny State I think
some people just cannot think wisely for
themselves like junk food fizzy drinks
all of that we all know what the um data
is on that and so why do they keep on
killing themselves yeah well that's
exactly my point uh that this is not
just about smoking or shouldn't be in
terms of a public health discussion uh
because there are those figures that we
were citing earlier about the negative
consequences of alcohol in terms of the
impact that it has uh on the NHS with a
number of preventable deaths that are
caused by alcohol and things like the
consumption of sugar that directly leads
to Public Health outcomes to me I don't
know what the great man would have said
Winston Winston Churchill he's like a
cigar now again but this myth about uh
smoking cost and the money it's the uh
smokers actually subsidize the National
Health they have charged huge 20 for 10
for a packet of 20 cigarettes and
there's other they just seem to be as
you pointed out to just to be singled
out it should be a broad broad cover
where you've got uh alcohol is just
promoted come and get you you 100 years
alcohol whatever well people drink they
got lots of people who in in in in in
hospital uh for for alcohol related
illnesses you've got sugar obesity that
I heard of none of those being targeted
nothing about the junk food that you
pointed out it just seemed to be sort of
if you're going to do it do it for
everyone do it I mean if you go to Cuba
you've got 90 year olds where my mom's
from we've cigars in their mouth you
know what I mean it's like we're just
we're not free we are we can't all just
go around as if we're automatons you
know everyone just going around
nonsmokers that's it you know life is is
not like that we need to be free free
you see me I said Winston is your
position that they should either do
everything or do nothing do I agree with
what you're saying they should do as I
agree I absolutely agree with that
statement they should do everything or
do nothing retired GP just to make very
important point for all smokers so could
they please listen carefully I do spread
this uh knowledge locally and some folk
are really Shattered by it right uh it
is a fact that if you take a 100 smokers
uh 50 of them will actually die as a
direct result of their habit in other
words one in two smokers will perish
early because they
smoke well that is and I don't think I'm
I'm pushing back against that at all
David because that's that's that's a
fact literature okay and on reflection
asly I think it's probably 5 years old
and I have a feeling that the latest
figures are even worse so but but but in
that case would you not favor a
government going even further and simply
saying this is so bad for everybody we
should ban cigarettes completely well I
don't know whether in fact we could
possibly do that yet but I mean what the
prime minister is doing um you know is
um is something which I certainly um uh
very much in favor of um and I I think
it's um fine to push the point that
basically uh you know cigarette smoke is
is basically a killer it it contains
many thousand of different compounds
some of which are known carcinogens now
with my chemistry background in addition
to Medicine um I will mention one
substance to you most folk will have
never heard of it but it is in fact
fenine fenine is a poly cyclic
hydrocarbon and for the chemists that
listening um they probably know this
already but it's um you go Benzene is
one uh six-membered ring uh napthalene
is two six-membered rings side by side
and fenine has three rings but the third
ring is slightly out of it's not in a
straight line with the other two there's
the boring bit of chemistry for you okay
but it is a carcinogen and it's is
present in cigarette smoke and where do
you stand on alcohol David well believe
it or not I I find this difficult to
mention but I will just mention it I
have read something on the Internet this
is tends to be some American stuff but
I'm not quite sure whether this
particular issue is American but
apparently if you take the essential
title of the article which attracted my
attention is if you if you start
regularly um uh drinking um at the age
of 60 and onwards then you there is
evidence already that in fact does lead
to a shorter life yes no no absolutely
no question about that
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