Just heard on the radio news about the Department of Health calling for Government legislation banning cigarettes from being displayed in shops. If such legislation were passed then cigarettes would become an 'under the counter' item, and many cigarette vending machines would also become illegal in certain places. Apparently this is another attempt to prevent children from smoking. Read more about it here.
Surely, as I have opined previously, if children/young people are going to smoke then they will no matter whether they can see the packs on display or not? There are plenty of other places where they get to see smoking taking place - on television, films, in the streets and in many cases in their own homes. In fact it could be said that the more hidden and forbidden something is made, the more attractive it becomes to certain types of young people - another way to rebel and assert their own control over their lives!
If this happens then it could pave the way for calls for all sorts of things to go 'under the counter' - alcohol perhaps, or to take it to extremes, unhealthy foods!! Anything that anyone thinks could have a bad influence in children!
Where will it all end? Will we become a nation of robots being told what to do, eat, drink, think? George Orwell may have been a few years out with 1984, but bit by bit it would seem that things are slowly going that way. Scary!!
If this happens then it could pave the way for calls for all sorts of things to go 'under the counter' - alcohol perhaps, or to take it to extremes, unhealthy foods!! Anything that anyone thinks could have a bad influence in children!
Where will it all end? Will we become a nation of robots being told what to do, eat, drink, think? George Orwell may have been a few years out with 1984, but bit by bit it would seem that things are slowly going that way. Scary!!
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