this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Good 😊

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 52 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'm sure this will work as intended.

[–] icerunner_origin@startrek.website 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

IDK if I'd bother with the black market to acquire cigarettes if they were already illegal when I turned 18. Not the most exciting drug.

[–] user_name@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Don’t even need them to be fully illegal to have black market demand. Eric Garner was selling loose (untaxed) cigarettes when the state executed him on the street in 2014. There’ll be demand for any black market no matter how apparently trivial the prohibition or unappealing the product, especially if the product is addictive.

[–] Anivia@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So you've never seen an underage person smoke? Kids already ignore the law and get cigarettes from adults or stores that don't bother checking their ID, so it's not even a hypothetical, it's just reality. Prohibition doesn't work

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Consider that the UK is becoming more and more of a surveillance-state, though. I doubt that "store clerk 'forgets' to check for ID" is going to stay a thing.

I'm not saying that a black market won't exist, but it's going to become more like buying "hard" illegal drugs is today, i.e. much harder than for drugs that are currently legal for all adults.

[–] Anivia@feddit.org 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think you have zero clue how easy it is for children to buy hard drugs

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I certainly never consciously met someone who would sell me illegal-for-adults drugs as a kid.

I think you overestimate the willingness of most people to buy illegal drugs.

[–] Anivia@feddit.org 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I certainly never consciously met someone who would sell me illegal-for-adults drugs as a kid.

Sorry to tell you this, but you weren't one of the cool kids then. People either didn't like you, or thought you were a snitch, if you've never at the very least been offered weed as a kid

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

OK? That's not really what this is about. If only "cool" kids can buy drugs, that leaves a large amount of people who can't.

[–] ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

No but a good cigar with a scotch or a coffee is always good. Occasionally.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

5% of the time it's good 100% of the times.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 1 week ago

Gotcha. I haven't smoked in years, but a good single malt Scotch or Irish is definitely good with a good chocolate or green. For that matter, I've not drank whiskey in years either, but I can still vividly recall the flavors.

[–] tomiant@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Giant bong rips is where it's at, as long as they don't make weed illegal I'm good!

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Do you honestly think they aren't going to do that?

[–] Tarogar@feddit.org 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Why work smart when you can work hard...

[–] blinfabian@feddit.nl 6 points 1 week ago

why work smart when you can work dumb by repeating old mistakes

[–] pulsewidth@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Smoking is already on a consistent, significant decline in the UK.

Risking a black market (let's be clear actually - definitely causing one) hardly seems worth a possible increased rate of decline.

[–] SoupBrick@pawb.social 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] You@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I gave the full title from the get go and haven't changed it. But the preview is funny and maybe it will come to that.

Some parts of this bill, increasing the places where vaping is not permitted in line with smoking, are very welcome.

But bans of addictive substances only result in criminalising people who are addicted and putting them more at risk of harm, because now in addition to lung cancer they'll have black market goons to deal with as well.

[–] CaptObvious@literature.cafe 13 points 1 week ago

Because Prohibition and the War on Drugs worked so well in the US, I guess?

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The best way to make cigarettes cool to kids is to make them fully illegal, this is a nonsense law unless you are trying to increase the amount of kids smoking cigarettes.

[–] Chemo@feddit.org 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They already are illegal for kids. For them, nothing changes. Why would it be cooler for then? Is crack cooler then alcohol today?

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 0 points 6 days ago

Why would it be cooler for then?

Because they just became more illegal.

[–] darkmogool@feddit.org 6 points 1 week ago

Yeah… Criminalizing shit always works…

[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] cadekat@pawb.social 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If I were to guess, it's because a blanket ban would turn the people who actually go out and vote against you.

[–] tomenzgg@midwest.social 10 points 1 week ago

I'd've assumed the addiction factor. Forcing an addict to quit could cause stress that won't be present for those who haven't started, yet.

But literally just a guess, on my part.

[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 7 points 1 week ago

Because of the existing addicts. It would create a black market.

Because people don't like to be told what to do. Why create a black market when there is already a steep and steady decline?

[–] pantherina@feddit.org 4 points 1 week ago

What could go wrong when making laws depending on entire generations

[–] chmod755@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

Tell everyone that they'll regret it at an early age