Smoking harms thousands of people every year. With smoking being the primary cause of deaths from preventable illnesses there have been talks in Parliament about harsher regulations.

Tobacco and cigar

Online PR News – 28-February-2013 –Smoking harms thousands of people every year. With smoking being the primary cause of deaths from preventable illnesses there have been talks in Parliament about harsher regulations. These draft laws would be in force throughout Europe, with talks on regulation of tobacco sales and the use of the products. It is hoped the inception of these draft laws would have a strongly positive effect throughout the EU. Health Commissioner, Tonio Borg, has fronted the talks.

A large fraction of illnesses seen throughout the NHS are smoke related and we have seen a significant rise in health care expenditure compared to 2003/4. The estimated expenditure for 2012/13 is £108bn in the UK alone. It is hoped that enforced laws targeting smoking would be hugely beneficial to the NHS, allowing for reduced health care costs.

Tonio Borg is also hoping that the economy will benefit from the smoking laws. He argued that the money spent on tobacco products would be saved, therefore allowing for the public to spend their money on other commodities, boosting the EU system. The rules would apply throughout the EU to create a consistent and powerful system. The draft laws would infer that 75% of labelling on cigarette or tobacco packaging would be of shocking images, deterring the smoker. Cigarette packets already have pictorial evidence and statistics stating the danger of smoking, however the images will be more personal and hard hitting. Alternatively, the packages would be plain, with no images, writing or branding.

The Health Commission also stated the flavoured tobacco in cigarettes should be discharged. The strong flavours, such as menthol and vanilla masks the unpopular taste of tobacco. The rejection of these flavours could deter young potential smokers due to the robust tobacco flavour. Some MEP’s stated that e cigarettes should also be banned because of the enticing flavours of the e liquid, encouraging younger smokers. An alternative to banning the products would be adding tax, making cheap tobacco obsolete.

The draft laws have not yet been put in place but it is thought if changes are going to be made it will be in 2013.

About Tobacco Specialists

Tobacco Specialist is an online branch of the shop, Smokers World. The shop is based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They sell quality tobacco products for competitive prices and have been in business for 85 years, perfecting their knowledge on the products they sell.