Happy New Year!
Friday, January 1, 2016 at 12:35 Currently driving to Dundee.
While I'm on the road I'll leave you with this, courtesy of Tobacco Reporter magazine:
The UK’s pro-smoker group Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Tobacco) describes in a round-up of the year how it, its supporters and others were successful in defeating a proposal that would have seen smoking banned on the beaches and parks of Brighton, a town on the south coast.
Of course, this was a victory amongst a number of losses, notably including the passing of legislation that will require that tobacco products are sold in the UK only in standardized packs.
But what the round-up shows is that, importantly, there is a well-organised (though probably under-funded) group with good connections to the general media trying to get the message of the ordinary smoker across to those in authority and anybody else who is willing to listen. And, occasionally it makes a difference.
Happy New Year!
Reader Comments (2)
Happy New Year! Yes, there is a well-organised voice for smokers. And yes, it's under funded. Let the New Year expand the efforts of Forest and hopefully bring more funding and greater success! The outdoor bans need to be stopped, plain packaging needs to be reversed, and smoking rooms restored!
Of all the organisations, including vaper organisations, that purport to speak for smokers, we have only one voice and Forest is that voice. Underfunded yes, and not listened to as much as it should be IF the real motivation is to "help" smokers and not force them to quit by any means possible - even by devaluing their property by defamatory unproven junk science by non scientists and smokerphobics. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/12077562/Buying-a-house-from-a-smoker-could-prove-dangerous-for-your-health-study-finds.html
Happy New Year by the way if I haven't said it already ;)