Cigarette ban hideously illiberal and full of holes, says IEA

Commenting on the government’s plan to introduce cigarette prohibition based on birth date, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the free market think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“Not only is this prohibitionist wheeze hideously illiberal and unconservative, it is full of holes. It will create a two tier society in which adults buy cigarettes informally from slightly older adults and will inflate the black market in general.

“It may well breach equalities legislation and will very likely be challenged in the courts. It will certainly create huge problems for retailers and may ultimately require a system of national ID cards."