Friday, October 13, 2023
March of the Welsh nanny state
Allowing people to take responsibility for their own choices does not tend to feature very often in the Welsh Labour Government's agenda, they would much rather be controlling our choices than educating us about them.
That is evident in the latest nonsense from First Minster, Mark Drakeford who, according to the BBC, believes that vapes should only be available on prescription for people quitting smoking. This is despite the fact that he has also quoted the Australian government's website as saying that there was "insufficient evidence" to promote their use for stopping smoking.
Consistency does not appear to be a strong point.
The reasoning behind Drakeford's wish to prevent the sale of vapes is that they are harmful. Now, I certainly support him in seeking to prevent the sale to those under the age of 18, but for adults, surely it should be their choice, and the Welsh Government's role to inform that choice. There is no evidence, as with cigarettes, that second hand vape smoke can impact on the health of non-vapers.
If the Welsh Government are going to ban things on the basis that they are harmful to users then they should also be looking at banning cigarettes, alcohol, and anything that pollutes the atmosphere and damages people's health.
For some reason I don't see Welsh Labour Ministers proposing any of that.
That is evident in the latest nonsense from First Minster, Mark Drakeford who, according to the BBC, believes that vapes should only be available on prescription for people quitting smoking. This is despite the fact that he has also quoted the Australian government's website as saying that there was "insufficient evidence" to promote their use for stopping smoking.
Consistency does not appear to be a strong point.
The reasoning behind Drakeford's wish to prevent the sale of vapes is that they are harmful. Now, I certainly support him in seeking to prevent the sale to those under the age of 18, but for adults, surely it should be their choice, and the Welsh Government's role to inform that choice. There is no evidence, as with cigarettes, that second hand vape smoke can impact on the health of non-vapers.
If the Welsh Government are going to ban things on the basis that they are harmful to users then they should also be looking at banning cigarettes, alcohol, and anything that pollutes the atmosphere and damages people's health.
For some reason I don't see Welsh Labour Ministers proposing any of that.
