The next step... a license to smoke?

[Munts]

"SMOKERS already face Kevin Rudd's $5 a pack tax rise and now cancer experts want them to apply for a licence to smoke.

Professor Roger Magnusson of the University of Sydney's Law School and Professor David Currow of the Cancer Institute NSW say a smart-card licence would combat teenage smoking.

Retailers would have to check the licence before every sale to verify that every pack sold is purchased by an adult, the authors write in today's Medical Journal of Australia."

from

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/experts-want-smokers-to-get-licence-to-light-up/story-fneuz9ev-1226691099559

[Trevor2118]

The world is full of ratbags.

[cigary43]

They already card for liquor so why not with tobacco? I don't have to worry as I'm as old as the hills so just having them card me would get me excited.

[rckymtn22]

Aren't retailers suppose to do this already by checking drivers licence or some kind of ID to stop under-aged smoking?

[cigary43]

They are supposed to but they usually don't because cigarettes are a cash cow so they tend to look the other way and just sell em.

[jsoftz]

Wow. In the states they just check Driver's Licenses for anyone who appears under 30. Although kids who want to smoke can always get cigs, often from their older siblings or an older friend who doesn't mind buying them.. I don't think we have any sort of systemic problem with not checking IDs. though. Getting some sort of separate smart card wouldn't solve the problem of getting them through the normal channels I mentioned above, though so I question how effective this would be at all.

[Fuzz AI]

In Australia, it follows a similar rule to liquor sales (though I believe the fines are higher), you only get carded if the retailer has a reason to suspect that you may be under age.

[Munts]

The issue is that you need to have a smoking license in order to purchase. Currently you just need to be over age. This would mean you would have to be over age and holding a license.

[CigKopf]

If someone wants to smoke, they will. Period. The only people that would actually benefit from this would be the people that sell smokes to underage people at a profit. Anytime government tries to ban an item, or make it more difficult to obtain a banned item, the only real outcome is a more lucrative black market.

[ptrthgr8]

The answer to every problem is more government. </sarcasm>

Cheers,

Greg

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[Blakes]

Maybe the black market is just paying more these days.... lol

[polarbear]

If there is a licence to smoke then it stands to reason there will be a licensing fee.

So thats another cash grab.

Also, if you have to be a registered smoker I imagine private health insurance providers will be VERY interested in the register when processing new applications.

Who knows, it could eventually lead to changes in the public health system, making registered smokers receivea different level of care or MMedicare support when suffering from respiratory illness or cancer