Forest has a new report out today.
It's called 40 Years of Hurt: The hyper-regulation of smokers 1979-2019, a title inspired by Mark Littlewood's speech at Forest's 40th anniversary dinner in London in June.
The report, which you can download here, was written by author and civil rights campaigner Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club.
According to Josie:
“Smokers are the canaries for civil liberties. In the past decade there has been a series of novel and unprecedented incursions on public and private rights.
“Smokers are increasingly stigmatised and discriminated against not to protect the health of other people but ‘for their own good’.
“This directly violates the harm principle that assumes a person has autonomy over their own life and body as long as they do not hurt other people.
“Outlawing smoking in places of residence, whether it be prison, mental health units or social housing, demonstrates a worrying erosion of our rights to autonomy and privacy.
“Smoking is prohibited on hospital grounds and patients, some of whom are infirm or elderly, are forced off site or targeted with patronising messages on public address systems.
“Banning smoking in outdoor public places such as parks and beaches is justified not because there is a direct risk to anyone else’s health but to prevent smokers setting what the authorities consider to be a ‘bad example’.
“What began decades ago as a legitimate public health campaign to educate people about the risks of smoking has become a moral crusade that threatens our culture of tolerance and diversity.
“The war on smoking is not about smoking. I have seen the same move towards direct state coercion in many areas of social life, including regulation of the homeless and young people.
“It is also telling that the kinds of restrictions imposed on smokers are now being proposed for food and drink. All of us, whether smokers or non-smokers, have a fundamental interest in defending personal and civic freedoms so we can live our lives as we think best, rather than as the state tells us to."
The press release includes the following quote by me:
“Since Forest was founded 40 years ago anti-smoking policies have evolved from education and voluntary codes to coercion and legislation.
“It’s time to stub out the increasingly brutal approach to smoking cessation that includes the deliberate persecution of millions of consumers.
“In a free society adults must be allowed to make choices concerning their lifestyle without excessive state intervention.
“After four decades government must end the war on smoking and focus on choice and personal responsibility.”
I thought twice about using the word ‘persecution’ in relation to smokers but I checked and the definition includes ‘hostility and ill-treatment, ‘oppression’, and ‘persistent harassment’, all of which apply to smokers in 2019.
To read the report click here.
Update: Josie has written an article for Spiked - First they came for the smokers. You might like to comment.