NHS adverts Smoking

[Deleted member 28206]

I can't understand how the government can put up very graphic and hard hitting adverts.( which I understand)

[video=youtube_share;c6Ul9QIfBno]http://youtu.be/c6Ul9QIfBno[/video]


Yet still do take this much tax off people


http://www.the-tma.org.uk/tma-publications-research/facts-figures/tax-revenue-from-tobacco/


What exactly are they hoping to achieve?

I have no problem with people wanting to do what they want with their bodies and money.

 

[Brennan]

I can't understand how the government can put up very graphic and hard hitting adverts.( which I understand)

[video=youtube_share;c6Ul9QIfBno]http://youtu.be/c6Ul9QIfBno[/video]


Yet still do take this much tax off people


http://www.the-tma.org.uk/tma-publications-research/facts-figures/tax-revenue-from-tobacco/


What exactly are they hoping to achieve?

I have no problem with people wanting to do what they want with their bodies and money.

That would be fine if they didn't cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds through the NHS as a result.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Alcohol and tobacco contribute to nearly 15% of all deaths around the world, or to put another way, that's nearly 8 million people per year.

Now broadly speaking I'm pretty liberal about these things and figure that folks can do what they like with their own bodies, but it does rankle how governments around the world can act all pious towards drugs that are far less dangerous.

Add in the 2 million or so that die from obesity related diseases and I'm not sure breaking the link between our behaviours and the cost of paying for the healthcare associated with treating the consequences is working.

 

[Brennan]

Alcohol and tobacco contribute to nearly 15% of all deaths around the world, or to put another way, that's nearly 8 million people per year.

Now broadly speaking I'm pretty liberal about these things and figure that folks can do what they like with their own bodies, but it does rankle how governments around the world can act all pious towards drugs that are far less dangerous.

Add in the 2 million or so that die from obesity related diseases and I'm not sure breaking the link between our behaviours and the cost of paying for the healthcare associated with treating the consequences is working.

On second thoughts.... encourage more smoking.

We need to get the world population down a billion or so. Start handing free cigs out at schools.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Driving is also high up on the list of killers. Think motoring accidents contribute well over 1 million deaths a year, so get kids driving from an early age whilst smoking and drinking. Jobs a good 'un.

 

[andym78]

That would be fine if they didn't cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds through the NHS as a result.

Bry's link says the taxman took £12billion from smokers in 2011/12 so even if they cost the nhs hundreds of millions that's still quite a healthy profit

 

[Brennan]

Bry's link says the taxman took £12billion from smokers in 2011/12 so even if they cost the nhs hundreds of millions that's still quite a healthy profit

If smokers didn't smoke they'd almost certainly spend the money on other things, which would also be taxed. The bright side being that we wouldn't spend money (and time) treating people for diseases they've inflicted on themselves for no reason.

Also seems my hundreds of millions estimate was conservative:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...moking-costs-nhs-pound5bn-a-year-1700509.html

Smoking costs the NHS £5bn a year.

 

[Groucho]

Obesity is catching smoking up, on the quiet.

Anyone seen "Supersize Me"?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Obesity is catching smoking up, on the quiet.

Anyone seen "Supersize Me"?

Yep, diabetes will be a huge problem over the next decade.

 

[dixe]

Obesity is catching smoking up, on the quiet.

Anyone seen "Supersize Me"?

The price of healthy food is surely an issue

 

[roydo]

Bry's link says the taxman took £12billion from smokers in 2011/12 so even if they cost the nhs hundreds of millions that's still quite a healthy profit

And thats just the smokers. Add in the corporation tax, NI, and income tax for those employed by the nasty evil tobacco companies.

Unless I am very much mistaken, I dont think many people have been so out of it on a fag that they jumped into bed with someone then regretted it , killed someone with their car, or started a fight.

Or bought something on those TV shopping channels.

Or posted something silly on GOT.

And I have only done 3 of the above.

Lay off us ffs.

 

[Ashtonian]

I work in the nhs, a hospital to be exact and this is all completely true.

outside the hospital we have a smoking cessation officer whos job it is to move people away from the front who are smoking, yet they stand there doing nothing all day. Then we all got an email to say we should all do their job and move people on which begs the question why have the fella to begin with? Now the bright ideas have put posters up basically trying to guilt trip people.in not smoking outside. there is one slight problem, the biggest problem with this idea is the biggest one basically says patients wont get better if you are smoking out here.

except the people who stand next to that poster 9 times out of 10 are bloody patients, wheelchairs drips in arm the works. So when someone walks into the hospital now they will see a giant sign thing telling them the above message surrounded by patients smoking and a fella ina yellow jacket standing there all day.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The price of healthy food is surely an issue

Really?

1 banana is around 13p vs 1 mars bar at 50p
You can get 2litres of milk for £1 vs 2litres of coke for £2
A carrot costs 9p each
Potatoes cost £2 for 2.5kg
Pasta, rice, cous cous etc. is all cheap (a lot cheaper than ready meals)
Cereal such as porridge oats is cheaper than pretty much any Kelloggs rubbish
You can buy a chicken for about the price of a pint of beer or a packet of cigarettes

Where is the expensive stuff?

 

[Azzurri]

Really?

1 banana is around 13p vs 1 mars bar at 50p
You can get 2litres of milk for £1 vs 2litres of coke for £2
A carrot costs 9p each
Potatoes cost £2 for 2.5kg
Pasta, rice, cous cous etc. is all cheap (a lot cheaper than ready meals)
Cereal such as porridge oats is cheaper than pretty much any Kelloggs rubbish
You can buy a chicken for about the price of a pint of beer or a packet of cigarettes

Where is the expensive stuff?

I do hope you're not including Start.


You're right, though. The ready made salads and 'organic' stuff are a rip off, however.

 

[Baines' left foot]

The price of healthy food is surely an issue

Really?

1 banana is around 13p vs 1 mars bar at 50p
You can get 2litres of milk for £1 vs 2litres of coke for £2
A carrot costs 9p each
Potatoes cost £2 for 2.5kg
Pasta, rice, cous cous etc. is all cheap (a lot cheaper than ready meals)
Cereal such as porridge oats is cheaper than pretty much any Kelloggs rubbish
You can buy a chicken for about the price of a pint of beer or a packet of cigarettes

Where is the expensive stuff?

Some things are definitely more expensive though.

Brown pasta is twice as much as regular pasta, for example.

A packet of blackberries/raspberries/blueberries the size of a large pack of crisps is £2. So I never buy them.

A pack of two corn on the cob is £2, which is a disgrace.

For cheap veg go to Aldi or Lidl, it's so much cheaper than Asda for certain things. Buy a full chicken for £3/£4 and you'll get a good couple of meals out of it and a few sandwiches. Does get a bit boring though.