Standing up for smoking

The UK smokers’ group Forest says prioritizing smoking cessation with a view to reducing smoking prevalence in England to less than five percent by 2030 is an attack on choice and personal responsibility.
Responding to a statement released yesterday by Public Health England, Simon Clark, director of Forest, said millions of people smoked not because they were addicted but because they enjoyed it.
“No-one should be forced to stop smoking because of excessive regulations, punitive taxation or creeping prohibition,” he said.
“Prioritizing smoking cessation in order to create a ‘smoke free’ society would be an attack on choice and personal responsibility.
“If adults choose to smoke in full knowledge of the health risks and don’t want to quit that choice must be respected.”