Yearly deaths from Addiction Economy industries

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - Joe's Friday Short graphic shows why smoking is being banned in pub gardens.

Interesting that Tim Martin, the founder of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain said in The Times: “I don’t think it will have a big effect on our business, one way or the other, and is really a libertarian issue,” tho his customers are younger and increasingly don't smoke anyway, perhaps will affect hospitality in poorer areas which historically are specifically targeted by cigarette companies.

https://lnkd.in/eNsYT2jq

Should vapes be banned too? Over 10,000 BTL comments on the BBC website on Starmer's announcement, and the highest rated is a suggestion that vapes should be banned outside too. A lot of support for that, but also many others who think it's going too far and don't want to ban anything and others saying you can't have it both ways - help the NHS and avoid further restrictions on cigs.

On balance, we think keep vapes for now, but include the full suite of proposals in the Tobacco & Vapes bill which includes restrictions on flavours, plain packaging, restricted availability for retail (not available to buy in pubs), tax and also phasing out Vapes alongside smoking making them illegal alongside smoking though perhaps with a two-year time lag

It might encourage smokers to swap, and I think that is part of the point and why, unusually the BBC allowed comments on a news story like this.

For us, it's a no brainer. It's mad that we let cigarettes kill so many citizens and don't do anything about it. It's not a Nanny State that prevents it, it's a Negligent State that doesn't.

And also, that's what they said about seat belts.

https://lnkd.in/e4emrvcM

BTW, Joe had great fun with the graphic which was done with VizSweet software, new from David McCandless of Information is Beautiful fame designed to help people create fantastic infographics. Lots more to come!

https://lnkd.in/e_nKCXMw