A government permit to buy alcohol? Junk food? Fast food? How about to buy ski's. A parachute? To go rock climbing? Bungee jumping? Ski-dooing? Where does this sort of socialist thinking end? Nanny state contemplates smoking licence.
No one would be able to buy cigarettes without the permit, under the idea proposed by Health England. [...]
Professor Le Grand, a former adviser to ex-PM Tony Blair, said cash raised by the proposed scheme would go to the NHS.
He said it was the inconvenience of getting a permit - as much as the cost - that would deter people from persisting with the smoking habit.
"You've got to get a form, a complex form - the government's good at complex forms; you have got to get a photograph.
"It's a little bit of a problem to actually do it, so you have got to make a conscious decision every year to opt in to being a smoker." [...]
A complex form with photo? Why not just make smoking illegal and be done with it? Oh thats right, the government needs the massive amounts of taxes garnered from smokers to fund the next stupid study for the next stupid idea some socialist comes up with to ban something. (sarc) But hey... lets legalize drugs! ya thats the ticket! They don't hurt anyone at all.... (/sarc)
