Fostering Genuine Public Dialogue on Smoking and Vaping Regulations

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - the 'National Conversation' Wes Streeting wants should not mean a few focus groups and polling about what the public thinks about a smoking ban.

He is right that such a contentious issue requires citizen deliberation. It has to be deliberative, open, rigorous and inclusive and focused on the public interest. Looking forward to seeing how evidence from commercial interests is weighted against the overall interest of public health and the quality of evidence presented for each - ie the alleged loss of earnings of pubs compared to the health of individual smokers and the health service and the longer term evidence that such a move will reduce smoking over all and why such action is needed.

Some sympathy with pubs with the changes being made at a tricky time, but they did rather cry wolf last time and health issues from smoking still a huge health hazard and drain on NHS time and funding.

Perhaps they could draw on the Framework for Meaningful Engagement that European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting and I developed with around 150 NGO's for public deliberation about AI and the development of regulation. In case of interest, it is here:

https://lnkd.in/evvMZPT2

There must also be a similar deliberative process undertaken about the proliferation of vapes, also including phasing out vapes alongside smoking with a medically agreed time lag. Vested interests will be sure to say that the vape issue is muddying the water of the all important smoking issue and should be left for another time. But we have to do both.

https://lnkd.in/ez4muA8R