A bus stop in town bears a large poster : How come it’s so easy to get hold of illegal tobacco? The answer seems to be given right there – it shows a well stocked stall somewhere, apparently right out in the open.
At first I thought it must be The Treasury, confirming my suspicion about the reason for not putting up the tobacco prices in the recent budget, but it is put out under the Crimestoppers
banner.
Further investigation shows that it is an initiative from our old friend Smokefree North West.
This NHS-funded organisation has a special mission to reduce smoking, in particular amongst 'the routine and manual populations' & amongst the young, with the major aim of reducing health inequalities to which smoking is considered to be a major contributory factor.
As is happening now with alcohol, the first tactic was to reduce demand by increasing the price of tobacco via tobacco tax. But then, of course, as rational economic beings, people start to look for a cheaper source of supply. Those who are tempted to step in to provide this supply will tend to be disadvantaged, & it is certainly the low level suppliers who are most likely to be caught & punished in any crackdown. Which of course will do a lot to improve their health & life chances.
A famous marketing man once said: We know that half our advertising works; the problem is we don’t know which half. In this case it may be the half which makes people go: Oh! I didn’t know you could get cheap cigs. I must look out for some’
