Cigarette sellers in France are protesting a new plan by the government to raise the prices of cigarettes. The price of cigarettes will grow considerably, in an effort to break people out of the habit, and get rid of the health costs associated with it.
By the end of this year, a pack of cigarettes will cost 8 euros. But the price will keep rising, until it reaches 10 euros within three years.
According to a report by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley:
"In Paris, hundreds of tobacco shops closed, and their owners came out to block intersections in protest. Tobacconists say the price rise is only the latest in a spate of repressive measures. Brand packages were banned last year. All French cigarettes now come in the same white pack with the big picture of a diseased organ on the front. Tobacconist Marie Valicourt says enough is enough."
The aim is to make smoking more difficult, by literally making it more costly, to take up the bad habit. French government officials were alarmed by statistics which showed that France was one of the heaviest smoking nations in Europe. Again, we go to the report by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley:
"According to the French health ministry, around a quarter of adults smoke, double the rate of Sweden. For young people, it's even worse. Stand outside any high school or even middle school when the bell rings, and you'll see plenty of kids lighting up. Statistics show anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of French 15- to 24-year-olds regularly smoke. Compare that to less than 10 percent of American teens. The hefty price hike is aimed at dissuading young people from starting, says Emmanuelle Beguinot with the French national committee for tobacco control."
Frankly, it seems to me that some countries, particularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia, seem to pass these laws and acts geared towards improving and protecting the health of their citizens. Is it any wonder that this kind of legislation seems sorely lacking here in the United States where, not so coincidentally, we also have a for profit healthcare industry that profits from the poor health of many people. It is a constant source of revenue to have a constant flow of customers, after all. And in a transaction-oriented society such as ours, profits seem to be the only thing that matters, which is why pursuing these unprofitable laws, which actually cut into the profits of the tobacco industry, never seem to be a serious priority.
French Cigarette Sellers Protest Government Price Hike by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, October 5, 2017 (Heard on Morning Edition):
By the end of this year, a pack of cigarettes will cost 8 euros. But the price will keep rising, until it reaches 10 euros within three years.
According to a report by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley:
"In Paris, hundreds of tobacco shops closed, and their owners came out to block intersections in protest. Tobacconists say the price rise is only the latest in a spate of repressive measures. Brand packages were banned last year. All French cigarettes now come in the same white pack with the big picture of a diseased organ on the front. Tobacconist Marie Valicourt says enough is enough."
The aim is to make smoking more difficult, by literally making it more costly, to take up the bad habit. French government officials were alarmed by statistics which showed that France was one of the heaviest smoking nations in Europe. Again, we go to the report by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley:
"According to the French health ministry, around a quarter of adults smoke, double the rate of Sweden. For young people, it's even worse. Stand outside any high school or even middle school when the bell rings, and you'll see plenty of kids lighting up. Statistics show anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of French 15- to 24-year-olds regularly smoke. Compare that to less than 10 percent of American teens. The hefty price hike is aimed at dissuading young people from starting, says Emmanuelle Beguinot with the French national committee for tobacco control."
Frankly, it seems to me that some countries, particularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia, seem to pass these laws and acts geared towards improving and protecting the health of their citizens. Is it any wonder that this kind of legislation seems sorely lacking here in the United States where, not so coincidentally, we also have a for profit healthcare industry that profits from the poor health of many people. It is a constant source of revenue to have a constant flow of customers, after all. And in a transaction-oriented society such as ours, profits seem to be the only thing that matters, which is why pursuing these unprofitable laws, which actually cut into the profits of the tobacco industry, never seem to be a serious priority.
French Cigarette Sellers Protest Government Price Hike by NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, October 5, 2017 (Heard on Morning Edition):
I have mixed feelings about these laws. On the one hand, smoking undeniably has an adverse effect on people's health. On the other hand, so does fast food and junk food. There's a growing obesity epidemic in much of the western world, which is wreaking havoc on the health of countless people, but you don't hear anything about imposing stiff tariffs on, say, McDonald's, Snickers or Coca-Cola, just to name a few. I'm not even convinced that the people behind these proposals genuinely think it's going to lower the number of smokers at all. But it will definitely line the government's coffers. Which is why the whole thing strikes me as being exceedingly hypocritical and self-righteous: profit motives masquerading as heartfelt concern.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but in this case, French government officials are trying to (a) keep health costs down, which probably helps in keeping costs affordable for citizens, unlike the United States, and (b) cuts into the profits of the tobacco industry, which I think is clearly more sinister then many of the foods that are fattening. Plus, the added bonus, whether nobly arrived at or not, would be a healthier overall population. And it will not happen here in the United States, where tobacco's "right" to profit, even at the expense of people's health, would be protected, as would the right to profit for the healthcare industry by keeping a constant flow of customers. As for McDonald's, there worst crimes are nor so much making people fat, but in clearing huge tracts of forests, particularly rain forests, in order to produce the cheap beef on such a massive scale.
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