Thanks to everyone who attended our webinar 'Smokefree: A Better Britain?' last week.
Special thanks to all our speakers – Andrew Allison, head of campaigns, The Freedom Association; Liz Barber, friend of Forest and a confirmed smoker; Mark Oates, director, We Vape and the Snus & Nicotine Pouch Users' Association; tobacco investment analyst Rae Maile; and Simon Hills, former associate editor of The Times Magazine and a one-a-day smoker!
Thanks also to Rob Lyons for moderating the event with his usual good humour.
As I explained in my introduction, one or two people misinterpreted the title of the event and thought Forest had moved over to the dark side and is now supporting a ‘smoke free Britain’!
Far from it. As I explained:
To be absolutely clear, we do NOT think a smoke free England, Wales or Scotland would create a better Britain.
First, it is unachievable by 2030 – the Government’s target for England – without the introduction of some seriously draconian policies designed to force people to quit.
Second, we believe it is wholly undesirable to aim to be ‘smoke free’ by a certain date. Forcing people to stop smoking – to meet an artificial target – would represent the end of choice, and that’s what Forest stands for, freedom of choice and personal responsibility.
Anyway here are some quotes from our speakers:
Andrew Allison
"First they came for smokers and I did nothing, then they came for vapers and I wish I had done something."
Liz Barber
"I've heard everything they've had to say about the dangers of smoking. After that it's up to me whether I decide to continue to smoke or not."
Mark Oates
"If we manage to get to 'smoke free' by 2030 just by chance I don't think it would be a bad thing as such, but what really matters is how we go about trying to achieve that."
Rae Maile
"The message since the Seventies has always been 'quit or die' not 'quit by doing something else you might enjoy'."
Simon Hills
"Smokers are a kind of bellwether for what's happening in society because they are an easy visible target for a powerful, well-remunerated health lobby which has its tail up at the moment."
If you were unable to join us a video of the meeting is available on the Forest YouTube channel. Click here or on the video below.