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This story gives a very one sided view of the situation in Australia. The decrease in population wide smoking in Australia this century has not been due to an

This story gives a very one sided view of the situation in Australia. The decrease in population wide smoking in Australia this century has not been due to an increase in quitting. It's mainly due to reduced rates of initiation in young people. http://mike.bailey.net.au/2015/10/smoking-prevention-and-treatment/ http://mike.bailey.net.au/2015/10/smoking-prevention-and-tre... People who cannot or do not want to quit are being denied information and access to reduced harm alternatives so as e-cigarettes. It's currently illegal to sell nicotine e-liquid in Australia, thanks largely to hard campaining by a large cancer charity that receives millions on dollars each year from taxpayers to reduce smoking rates. Look up 'health facism'. It finds a safe space within the "tobacco control" arm of public health. Not all public health advocates are humanitarians. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-nazis-forgotten-anti-smoking-campaign/373766/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-nazis... "But according to Proctor, the Nazi ban did manage to do some good for a subset of the population: German women. Proctor estimates that some 20,000 German women avoided lung cancer deaths, thanks to “Nazi paternalism, which discouraged women from smoking, often with police force.”

nikdaheratik 10y ago
While the story was mostly in favor of Australia's current smoking policy, I believe it was much more fair to both sides of the story than a claim that just because the Nazis's didn't like smoking, that means that any other government that doesn't like smoking is a Fascist dictatorship.
- hnmchackleton 10y ago
  I agree with your assertion but suggest you misunderstood mine. Well meaning politicians in liberal democracies would do well to consider carefully before crossing the line between encouragement and coercion when trying to modify individuals behaviour "for their own good". Health facism can include appealing arguments like "the State pays for your healthcare so we can punish you for risky bahviour". Australia's TGA today rejected an application to permit smokers to legally purchase a safer source of nicotine (e-liquid for vaping), largely due to pressure from the same groups patting themselves on the back for what a great job they've done making life harder for smokers.

nikdaheratik 10y ago

While the story was mostly in favor of Australia's current smoking policy, I believe it was much more fair to both sides of the story than a claim that just because the Nazis's didn't like smoking, that means that any other government that doesn't like smoking is a Fascist dictatorship.

hnmchackleton 10y ago
I agree with your assertion but suggest you misunderstood mine. Well meaning politicians in liberal democracies would do well to consider carefully before crossing the line between encouragement and coercion when trying to modify individuals behaviour "for their own good". Health facism can include appealing arguments like "the State pays for your healthcare so we can punish you for risky bahviour". Australia's TGA today rejected an application to permit smokers to legally purchase a safer source of nicotine (e-liquid for vaping), largely due to pressure from the same groups patting themselves on the back for what a great job they've done making life harder for smokers.