Your Government cares... NOT

Hello all,

I have covered this before but thought I would create a seperate thread to address the issue.

For all in the UK they will know what I'm talking about, those in the USA I'm not sure so please let me know.

The UK government happily puts pictures of terminally ill patients on the back of our cigarette packets. They have also tried to increase the price of alcohol in an attempt to dissuade under age drinkers.

My problem is this; I probably drink too much and smoke too much.

However, what I choose to do is my business.

What I don't like is the fact that our "loving" government puts pictures on the back of my cig packets to try and make me stop smoking.

They do not ban cigarettes however. Why is this?

Because of the millions in taxes they earn of me effectively killing myself.

Like I said, I don't have a problem with my "addiction". I know its not good for me but I don't want my government pretending to care about my health when in effective theyre profitting from my killing myself.

And with regards to the alcohol, is it fair to make a 78 year old man who enjoys a later night tipple to pay up to £3 pounds more for his nightcap in an attempt to stop underage drinkers?

What do you think?

Does the government care or are they happy being hypocrites making money from my demise?

they cant ban cigaretes,couse people will riot too much,neither they can ban alcohol.
but yea they want to make money from this ur right.
with ricing the price atleast people will think "hey i better buy meat that i will eat for 4 days instead a pack of killing cigaretes.
besides most of the people who smoke here are usualy egoistic bastards and posers.
i dont want to flame you op, i know its not fair for you,try to fight the system or something,buy tobacco,get a source to bring you ciggaretes from kazakstan,theyr cheap as bread there,i can relate that u love to smoke,were only humans,and no the government dosnt care and never cared XD but u know what? our government in bulgaria want us dead compared to your goverment and i dont smoke,drink (only liqier and cocktails maybe,call me a homosexual) and i preffer spening money on food and sun batteries

[edit on 23-8-2009 by Stillalive]

reply to post by Stillalive


I just get annoyed when our government puts pictures of people with various smoking related illnesses on the back of our cigarette packets in an attempt to stop us smoking but they obviously don't mind about the millions of pounds theyre making from us selling the cigs in the first place!

I know the dangers of smoking and still choose to smoke. I don't need to buy a pack of cigs that has a picture of rotten lungs on the back.

have you even thought about this ? I mean, at all ? Would you prefer the government to ban smokes and alchohol ?

The reason why we have a problem is not because well educated people who enjoy a drink or the odd smoke are in trouble, it is because the uneducated losers who don't understand anything, like electricUniverse, need to be slowly walked through issues till they understand them...

reply to post by audas


No ofcourse I wouldn't like cigarettes or alcohol to be banned.

However I would like them to stop pretending they care about the publics health when they profit and sell the products in the first place.

i get you man,about the sick picks,they dont have a right to do that,a simple small text "smoking kills" would do
here on all cigaretes we have BIG FRIKKIN TEXT "smoking kills blabla"

its all about the money and the power that comes with it

Having lost both of my parents to smoking related illnesses I think there's another way of looking at this. The government would love ALL people to stop smoking as the money they would lose in tax would be less than that spent on cancer treatments, lung desease and other smoking related illnesses treated in our hospitals. In the long run they would save money. . . However, I think it is a basic human right to do as you want as long as you're not hurting or disrupting the lives of those around you so using psychological torment to try and get people to quit smoking is purile. I wonder how long it will be before someone sues the government for psychologically disturbing them with these images?
The same goes for drinking! Why should I and others who like to go out for a drink be penalised because a few late night off licenses are serving kids alcohol who then go on and become a nuisance. Surely they would be better fining the off licenses for serving underage kids?

reply to post by Mintwithahole.

Having lost both of my parents to smoking related illnesses I think there's another way of looking at this. The government would love ALL people to stop smoking as the money they would lose in tax would be less than that spent on cancer treatments, lung desease and other smoking related illnesses treated in our hospitals. In the long run they would save money. . .

I'm sorry about your parents. You make a good point about them saving money eventually.

There has been talk/rumours about the NHS refusing to treat smoking related ilnesses. What do you think about that?

However, I think it is a basic human right to do as you want as long as you're not hurting or disrupting the lives of those around you so using psychological torment to try and get people to quit smoking is purile. I wonder how long it will be before someone sues the government for psychologically disturbing them with these images?

My thoughts exactly!

Haha , thats an interesting take on the PC side of things! I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually did try to sue the government.

The same goes for drinking! Why should I and others who like to go out for a drink be penalised because a few late night off licenses are serving kids alcohol who then go on and become a nuisance. Surely they would be better fining the off licenses for serving underage kids?

Again, my thoughts exactly mate

reply to post by Death_Kron

Good for you DK

I smoke as well and am fed up with this damn witchhunt against smokers.
I think smokers fund the damn NHS !!!

And I just don't look at those pics on the back of cig packets.
Obesity costs the NHS a small fortune----don't see any so called warnings on burgers, kebabs and the like.

But the question that intrigues me is WHY the govt is so hell bent on getting people to stop ???
You're right--its certainly not because they care.
and they need the revenue from taxes
So why??
You investigate the beneficial qualities of nicotine and also the effect nicotine has on the brain and see what you come up with.
It possibly gives you certain protection against things that maybe this govt does'nt want you to have
But then again---I'm into conspiracy !!!

reply to post by Death_Kron

There has been talk/rumours about the NHS refusing to treat smoking related ilnesses. What do you think about that?

My sister is a manager at one of the big trusts up here in the north west and let me tell you you're not far wrong. It's not just smokers either! Add to smokers, the obese, heavy drinkers and drug takers.
As far as I'm concerned the government is simply trying to impose cut backs on the NHS and it seems that smokers and the obese are going to end up bearing the brunt of it!
A rumour I heard, and I don't know if it's just scaremongering, was that smokers would have to take out private health insurance if they wanted to buy cigarettes and smoke so if they ended up needing hospital treatment they wouldn't be a drain on it's resources. . So in effect, smokers would pay twice for their treatment, once in their national insurance and tax and secondly by their own private insurance! Hardly a fair system, I don't think.

The government has never cared about the people, its about taking our

money and slowly killing us in the process...imo