Packet in!

Yes I am a smoker - Yes I do want to stop - not because I don't enjoy it but because of the smell it leaves on my clothes and in my house - What an awful amount of money to be wasted 2.7 billion cost to the NHS!! - But guaranteed - If I do stop smoking, something else will kill me at some time so whatever I die of the cost will still be fronted by the NHS - Oh and of course the government will lose the tax revenue stream that smokers happily pay towards the NHS - can I remember a 50p increase not so long ago to be paid directly to the NHS?? - Have a guess what - we will all stop smoking and then the Government will increase the duty on petrol (seen how much that is lately) because not enough funds will be available because of the knock on effects and job losses within the industry - and all you non smokers will end up paying more........I could go on

By Nick Spall.. Posted February 4 2010 at 8:50 AM.

for those of you who to ban Cigs and alcohol. take a lesson from the US. Prohibition did not work! Education is the key to sensilbilities.

By dan in USA.. Posted February 3 2010 at 7:19 PM.

Instead of preaching just ban them, simple. Changing the colour of the packet wont do jack.

By Mandy.. Posted January 31 2010 at 5:24 PM.

When are they going to stop the concern over smokers?
Have the Govt not seen all the documentaries about the foods they approve for our supermarkets which we buy and feed our CHILDREN.
What about alchohol which we use excessively in our homes and in our streets.
Lots of our CHILDREN are drinking and guess what they can buy it in our supermarkets.
Surely it is time to put a stop to this "WE CARE" rubbish
What about the treatment of our girl children by society. Are they going to look into this?
come on enough is enough

By mercedes.. Posted January 31 2010 at 5:17 PM.

I think smoking should be banned, if its costing the nhs 2.7 billion a year! When the smokers are admited to hospital for there smoke related illness they'll be the first to complain about lack of resources and waiting lists!

By gail .. Posted January 31 2010 at 5:12 PM.

trev - roy castle never smoked himself, played his trumpet in jazz clubs and died of lung cancer attributed to second hand smoke.

By charlie.. Posted January 31 2010 at 4:24 PM.

Smoking near anyone who doesn't want to breathe your poisonous fumes is an assault, and you can whinge all you like about smokers rights, it won't change that fact. And smoking near children is child abuse, pure and simple.

By Nick.. Posted January 31 2010 at 3:44 PM.

How stupid this dictatorship is I smoke and will continue to smoke while these people at the top keep trying to force me to stop I want to stop but I believe in FREEDOM of choice and please don't tell me that second hand smoke kills. Show me one death certificate with second hand smoke as cause of death on it then i might just and only just pay a little lip service to it. As for the hypocrites who use the kids as justification to stop the smokers. Just think what kind of world you are leaving for them to be told from cradle to grave what they must do .Don't forget they to have a right to choose what they want to do

By Trev the smoker.. Posted January 31 2010 at 1:21 PM.

Good. Smoking is an insidious killer. I'm a smoker and I wish to God it was outlawed. The tobacco companies should be treated for what they are, evil drug pushers and dealers.

By yokel.. Posted January 31 2010 at 12:57 PM.

whilst am not a smoker (never have been) and nearing the age of 63, not likly to be ,the draconian measures this government are taking verges on the extreem, the current measures in place to deter youngsters are sufficiant ,they will smoke if they want to irrespective of the print on the box, its about time ministers got off there fat backsides and ventured into the real world, or maybe after the next election ,after they have upset enough smokers (who do vote) they will have time to reflect or even have a smoke on why they are out of work, HOPEFULLY

By terry bishop.. Posted January 31 2010 at 12:17 PM.

I'm not bothered about what packets they're in or the signs on them stating the bleedin' obvious, i just want the ciggies inside the pack.
is this government stupid?

By me187.. Posted January 31 2010 at 11:22 AM.

I don't smoke, and find it very difficult to be near smokers when they're smoking, but in their own home and in the open air it's their own business.

Any credibility these ideas may have had has been shown up as yet another stupid imposition by trying to justify it with the "it's for the children" argument.

Like so much of NuLabour's nonsense, it's got nothing to do with protecting children, but using that argument will make the weak minded think the dictatorship that is NuLabour are doing the right thing as opposed to setting up yet further routes into home privacy invasion.

Who's next for targetting? Coffee drinkers? Chocolate eaters? People who choose to put salt on their chips?

This is no longer a nanny state but for a few years now has in fact been a pure dictatorship! Anyone remember who many times the "voluntary measures for now but if people don't comply we'll make it compulsory" line has been trotted out in the last 13 years?

By steve c.. Posted January 31 2010 at 11:06 AM.

i hope when i get my cheap ciggies from Spain, will still have the nice gold packet!
Another top idea by Gordon Brown pat on the back for the main man!!

By mark.. Posted January 31 2010 at 10:47 AM.

No drinking does NOT cause as much problems as smoking ..drinking causes a helluva lot MORE problems.as do CARS

By donny 17.. Posted January 31 2010 at 9:27 AM.

More social engineering form the Labour Party. Nanny doesn't know best.

By steve tea.. Posted January 31 2010 at 9:15 AM.

I don't remember any smoker losing their home,job and family due to smoking,nor do they go out fighting every weekend binge smoking,drinking and gambling cause's much more harm and damage,however these are both alright and continue to advertise and get tax relief. wake up .

By chris.. Posted January 31 2010 at 8:46 AM.

Alcohol is far more damaging than tobacco, yet the government does nothing about it. Personally, I'm a pipe smoker only (don't smoke ciggies at all), and I don't care too much what the packaging looks like as long as the nanny state doesn't stop me from obtaining pipe tobacco.

An American study showed that pipe smokers live longer than non-smokers. Pipe smoking is, for me, a most delightful and stress-reducing hobby. I'd recommend it to anyone. There's far more flavour and enjoyment from good old pipe tobacco than from those nasty, sharp ciggies - and a full pipe bowl lasts far longer than a cigarette.

By Jon.. Posted January 31 2010 at 8:30 AM.

There is no single thing that is going to stop people smoking. It requires concerted, multi-facet and persist approach. This includes restrictions and controls on when, how and who can buy them. The latest law is just another in range of weapons the govt is using to curb the uptake of smoking. Comparing this to drinking is trivialising the untold damage smoking does. This is hardly pathetic.

By David .. Posted January 31 2010 at 8:13 AM.

why not just ban it altogether that would solve all the misery in the country.smokers are weak with no self control over there bodys.GIVE IT UP......

By MR DARBY.. Posted January 31 2010 at 8:12 AM.

How many petty meddlers are employed at our expense to make and enforce decisions like this? The country is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and still they find the time and resources for this sort of petty spitefullness. Either ban cigarettes or leave them alone.

By Kevin.. Posted January 31 2010 at 6:37 AM.

Oh yes I can just see it now " Right that's it i'm giving up the cigs- they've turned all the packets grey". LMAO.

Cue stressed out shop staff taking forever trying to find your paticular brand under the counter while the local feral kids make off with heaps of sweets etc.

As for bringing in laws to stop parents lighting up when kids in the car- why not they screw drivers out of so much money already with fines galore so that'll come as no surprise. Though with lighting up in the house- another story- what they going to do..secretly install mini big brother cams in every single home in the UK? Pay the nosey old curtain twitchers to stare out their windows on alternative shifts? (I would just like to add though that I don't puff around my kids- but that's my choice.)

The NHS conveniently forgets who ploughs the most money into their pot anyway- yes us smokers. One rule for one another for the alchies, druggies, overweight and so on....

By Rach.. Posted January 31 2010 at 4:45 AM.

More meaningless Labour nonsense. If you are really serious about stopping smoking, ban cigarettes. While they are legal, and you rake in the excise revenue, people will smoke. Hypocrites. Roll on the election.

By phil.. Posted January 31 2010 at 3:14 AM.

If smoking is so bad for people's health, why don't the government ban it outright? Answer? TAXES!! The government rake in billions per year from smokers; just like they do with drivers and people who drink. Then think how much tax is paid by those who do all three!!!

By Gillian .. Posted January 31 2010 at 3:00 AM.

So when everyone is FORCED to stop smoking the NHS will lose BILLIONS of pounds a year from the VAT/Tax on tabacco sales.

Whats going to happen then? There will still be a generation of smoking related cancer suffers with no funding going into the NHS from the above taxes hows treatment going to be paid for?

When are these goverment IDIOTS going to realise this country needs common sense solutions to problems not stupid ideas that even a bunch of ten year old would laugh at!

And NO I'm am not a smoker and never have been but I am a realist and believe that the way the goverment/EU is dictating to us with rafts of daft unless and expensive rules will simply move us into a dictator state where we can not do anything without official permission!

Will the last person out of the country please switch off the lights!

By Mike.. Posted January 31 2010 at 12:29 AM.

those cigarette companies will find a way to make their product more decorated and exciting, you watch.

By Jonathan.. Posted January 31 2010 at 12:04 AM.

like people actually buy cigarettes because of what the packet looks like absolutely pathetic. why do all this to prevent people smoking but allow 24hr drinking when that causes as much problems as cigarettes.
strict 21 age limit on smoking and drinking i say america have got it right they actually ask for ID!!!!

By ambyth55.. Posted January 30 2010 at 11:13 PM.