What have we come to when we ban people from doing things that aren’t illegal?
IF the driving force behind the Prime Minister’s anti-tobacco, anti-vape legislation is to, from a health point of view, “protect future generations” (“Sunak wins smoking ban vote despite Tory revolt”, heraldscotland, April 16), perhaps he ought also to consider passing laws to ban all alcohol consumption for anyone born after 2006, oh and he could add banning the sale of chocolate, crisps, sweets, soft drinks containing sugar, sausage rolls, bacon butties and meat pies – anything in fact defined as junk food – to anyone born after 2006 as well.
Honestly, what have we come to as a society when we decide to prevent or ban individuals from doing things they want to and very importantly, choose to do, none of which are illegal?
The type of legislation we are currently witnessing in the process of being adopted doesn’t reflect Conservatism or Liberalism, it’s dictatorship and a major infringement on the individuals right to choose.
Yes, by all means tighten up and improve regulations regarding better controlling the sale and in-store marketing of tobacco and vaping products and severely punish retailers who flout any tighter sale or display legislation.
Like the quite ridiculous, needless, unenforceable recently-introduced hate crime law, this anti-tobacco legislation must be stopped in its track, removed from the statute books, and let’s get our politicians, in Westminster and in Holyrood, back to being focused on what they are paid to do, which is most certainly not to interfere with the individuals’ rights to choose what they want to do, or how they choose to spend their hard earned cash.
Paul Mcphail, Glasgow.