Lancet calls for tobacco to be made illegal

The Lancet called on Tony Blair's government last week to make tobacco an illegal substance, but it attracted little support to its cause (2003;362: 1865).

The unsigned editorial first discussed the question of banning smoking in public places. It pointed out that the government had been condemned, in a letter to the Times (25 Nov, p 19) by the leaders of the 18 royal colleges, for not introducing such a ban.

But the leader goes on to say: “Calling for a ban on smoking in public places is a start, but it is missing the point. Tim Lord, the Chief Executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association, believes that price is the main determinant of how many smokers there are.

”We disagree. Availability and acceptability are more important. If tobacco were an illegal substance, possession of cigarettes would become a crime, and the number of smokers would drastically fall.

The Department of Health is providing free bibs with a secondhand smoking slogan to every baby born in England in December

Credit: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

“Cigarette smoking is a dangerous addiction. We should be doing a great deal more to prevent this disease and to help its victims. We call on Tony Blair's government to ban tobacco.”

The idea did not attract the support of the press. An editorial in the Independent said that a ban on tobacco would be illiberal and ineffective. “Prohibition is going too far, for many of the same reasons that making other recreational drugs illegal is unwise. Putting the supply and distribution of drugs for which there is a known demand in the hands of criminals is asking for trouble. It would probably make tobacco more fashionable with young people.”

An editorial in the Observer said: “Such prohibitions serve only to make criminals of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Nor should we want to add to the existing drugs, people-trading and terrorist-funding cycle.”

Nor did it attract the support of the leading pressure group against tobacco, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). A spokesman said: “ASH does not support the Lancet article's call for an outright smoking ban.”