Iceland considers prescription-only cigarettes

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

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Think Australian anti-smoking laws are tough? Iceland is considering banning cigarettes and making them prescription-only for those who cannot quit.

Former health minister Siv Fridleifsdottir has proposed a radical private member's bill in parliament that would make cigarettes a prescription-only product, banning their sale in regular shops and only allowing pharmacies to distribute them, the UK's Guardian reported.

Under the proposed 10-year plan, only those 20 years of age and older would be able to purchase cigarettes initially, and eventually, only smokers with a valid prescription would be able to legally feed their habit.

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If the bill passes it would encourage smokers to enlist the help of their doctor to quit, and only be prescribed cigarettes if they failed to kick the habit.

Banning smoking in all public places, including parks and sidewalks and cars carrying children, is part of the proposed legislation. Cigarette prices would also rise by 10 percent initially, but eventually drop once they became a prescription-only product.

In Iceland every year, 300 people die from lung cancer, heart attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — all known smoking-related diseases.

"That's 20 percent of all deaths," said Thorarinn Gudnason, the president of the Icelandic Society of Cardiology who helped prepare the policy. "We think that our proposals could lead to a significant reduction in smoking-related deaths — perhaps down to just 100 annually."

Over the past 20 years, smoking rates in Iceland have dropped from 30 percent in 1991 to 15 percent today. The reduction is largely due to a large increase in tobacco taxes, which account for 25 percent of the cost of a pack, and repercussions of Iceland's financial collapse.

What do you think of this drastic measure?

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The undeniable connection between antismoking propaganda and the pharmaceutical industry or ministries at the service of multinationals. It is not a coincidence that the pharmaceutical giants pay antismoking activists all over the world to instigate hysteria and mass hatred against smokers. The goal of this marketing campaign, which involves even well-known names of international medicine, is quite clear the smoker, frightened by the disinformation, tormented even by his kids (who get brainwashed in school), thrown out from public places and workplaces – and finally hated by society tries to quit to conform. But, since he is told he is an addict, he must turn to the help of his doctor, who either sends him to a quit-smoking centre or prescribes the therapy directly, depending on the business arrangements made with Big Pharma. With public money, therefore, a private enterprise that is based on persecution is promoted – a persecution that goes after the very segment of the

The government will NEVER ban smoking for the simple fact that they make way too much money off it. Everyone carries on about how smoking harms others, well what about alcohol. How many lives are destroyed every week by drink drivers? Oh but that's okay because alcohol is considered a cool thing to do and you can buy hundred dollar bottles of champagne so it's a nice fancy habit to have. Total BS. I would rather stand next to a smoker and breathe a few mouthfuls of their second hair smoke then get on the road on a Friday night with a dozen drunk drivers. I am so sick of hearing people whinge about smokers and it's gotten to the point where they are considered lepars. It is a LEGAL habit. As far as I'm concerned drinking is far more dangerous then smoking. Who here after a few cigarettes starts fights, or gets in a car and kill someone? No one. But have a few glasses of alcohol and watch the fatalities rise.

What is a sidewalk? Do you mean footpath?

How can it be the in realms of the health organisations, including doctors who make a Hippocratic oaths to do no harm, prescribe something detrimental to health, what next cyanide, lead and arsenic prescriptions?

Jojo says smokers pay enough taxes to cover their health care. What planet where those figures collected?!? In 2007 smoking excises brought in nearly 3 billion in taxes, and the cost to Australia from smoking related issues - over 30 billion. You're about 27 billion short so don't claim you're paying enough. Stop clogging up our hospitals and we'll stop charging you taxes. (All these figures are freely and easily available on the net so perhaps check what you say before you say it.)

It seems like a good idea. Under prescription people adicted to cigarettes should obtain their supplies cheaper therefore reducing the strain on limited income families. But the big gain would be my making it more difficult for people to start smoking.

For those that cry poor about the taxes on ciggy's think about this. The cost of medications, hospital stays, medications and medical interventions for those that get life threatening diseases from thier FREE choice. Your taxes will NEVER cover the cost to the health system. If the health system was not burdened with this cost maybe free dental would not be a dream in Australia. From the ealy days of smoking through top the late 60's the harm from smoking was not so well known and some company's claimed thier product helped with a sore throat's etc. But the truth is now known by all so lets ban smoking for all under 20 years old and increase the legal age by 1 year every year till there is no more smokers. and then we can tax the hell out of Drinkers and Gamblers until they are like the smokers GONE.

I am a non-smoker, so it really wouldnt affect me. But prohibition eh? yeah because it worked so well for alcohol in the US....(Al Capone anyone?) Some REAL STUPID people behind this. Get busted having a smoke and get a criminal record andor go to prision. How about the people behind this *** off and let ADULTS make their own decisions. "Smokers cost the tax payer hundereds of thousands of dollars in medical costs" = um, so it is much better for these people to get demetia and then cost the tax payer hundereds of thousands in medical bills while they rot in a nursing home. It is a fact that smokers die pretty quickly, My grandmother died with dementia, my mother from multiple myloma. Let me just say this much neither of them smoked but it sure as *** made me want to after watching them suffer for years and years.

I am a smoker and find it hard to quit because everywere you go you can buy them. Please,please ban smoking i think it is a great idea.

Smoking is not a choice it is an addiction. An addiction which affects everyone around the smoker. Nobody chooses to be an addict. There is a product which satisfies the addiction to nicotine but does not include all the other harmful chemicals - which are what actually cause all the smoking related diseases. It is called an electronic cigarette. No harmful smoke, just vapour. Yet the government in Australia bans the sale of the liquid nicotine here. They are not serious about helping smokers quit or they would allow the sale. Probably not legal as they don't get revenue from it! Any smokers looking for a painless way to quit - no withdrawal - search electronic cigarettes on the net. I quit a 35 year pack a day habit and had tried every other "legal" option

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