While the Federal Government works on trying to introduce plain packaging for all cigarette packets in Australia by 2012, anti-smoking campaigners are trying to introduce a licence for all smokers.
Professor Simon Chapman, an anti-smoking campaigner from the University of Sydney, believes this licensing scheme could pave the way to a smoke-free Australia in possibly 10 to 15 years time.
He said the “highly addictive product that kills half its long-term users” can be bought as often as a smoker wants, sold alongside other grocery products. He suggested the licence would allow smokers to rethink their purchasing of the product in the first place through the restrictions the licence would place on them.
“All current smokers would have a year to buy a smart card, swipe licence,” explained Professor Chapman to Neos Kosmos. “Anyone turning 18 and wanting to smoke would need to sit a detailed knowledge test, just like a driving licence knowledge test. They would in effect be signing their informed consent to smoke.” All the licences would be graded and costed accordingly with the amount you smoke and a means test would address financial concerns.
“No one would be able to obtain more than 60 cigarettes a day,” said Professor Chapman, “a level that very few smokers now reach. There would be incentives for permanently surrendering a licence.”
However, smoker Steve Samelis told Neos Kosmos he can’t see how this licence will ever work. “It’s my choice to smoke, no one put a gun to my head and forced me to do it.” Samelis smokes around 10 to 15 cigarettes a day and says that the licence to smoke is another way anti-smoking groups are discriminating against smokers. “It’s one person talking for the rest of us,” Samelis said. “To me this notion is just ridiculous, we are a democratic country, we should be able to make up our own minds. I know the risks involved in smoking, but I enjoy it. It’s my choice.”
But Professor Chapman said that smokers would embrace this licence in the same way they did the smoking bans as it helped them reduce the amount they smoked and in some cases gave them the help they needing in quitting the habit.