1. Is it worth the headache? Will it cost the government even more money in admin/enforcement on top of the health costs associated with smoking?
1.1. there will be a set up/application cost. should be covered by the licence itself. not a lot of maintenance in regards to manpower. hopefully mostly online.
1.2. there will be a pool of funds from those to old to be eligible for the full refund of licences paid.
2. Reason
2.1. Is the government trying to decrease mortality, improve health and reduce pressure on the health system?
2.2. Is the main reasoning trying to cut back on health spending?
2.2.1. How much money is spent by the gov (taxpayers) on health as a result of smoking related health issues?
2.3. Can they even do this or is it becoming too much like a nanny state? Is the government trying to have too much control over its citizens?
3. Enforcement
3.1. How will it be enforced and managed so that people can not simply 'bum' smokes off anyone or get someone else to purchase them?
3.1.1. smoke limit. will need to be refreshed regularly to avoid accumulating large amounts for dispersion. not expensive enough to warrant a split system etc.
3.2. Is this enforceable? How will it be monitored by authorities on a domestic and business level? E.g. prevent the sale of cigarettes to those without a Licence and prevent sharing.
3.2.1. smart card system with photo ID. only allowed number of cigarettes you have pre-selected.
4. Application
4.1. How are licences applied for?
4.1.1. online or tobacconist
4.2. How easy will it be to obtain a licence?
4.2.1. very easy. general knowledge test for new smokers.
5. What?
5.1. What is a Smoking Licence?
5.1.1. a licence that smokers must buyto allow them to purchase cigarettes.
5.2. Who put this idea forward?
5.2.1. Chapman?
5.3. What does it involve? What are the restrictions?
5.3.1. smart card licence. needs to be swiped and have photo id for identification and to keep track of purchases. will have your preselected number on cigarettes on it so extra cannot be purchased.
6. Benefits
6.1. allows a database to be kept of smoking history etc.
6.2. help to encourage people to quit smoking
6.3. makes it harder for young people to pick up the habit
6.4. further de-normalise
6.5. encourage people form low-SES to quit, the main group who need to be targeted.
7. Health
7.1. What does the research say about smoking effect on health? Is this reason enough to take peoples rights away?
7.1.1. no one would be excluded. further incentive to quit.
7.2. How much money is spent on health every year from smoking associated health conditions?
7.2.1. How do we know that it is smoking when healthy people still develop some of the same diseases and health conditions?
8. Social Implications
8.1. Will a licence have any social ramifications?
8.1.1. cigarettes will still be legal and easy to obtain. no ramifications. no binge smoking,
8.2. Smoking has a highly addictive nature, will this lead to anti-social behaviour or violent crime in order to obtain cigarettes?
8.2.1. no. they will not be hard to obtain.
8.3. Will people prevent socialising to avoid being around smokers if they themselves cannot obtain the licence?
8.3.1. all will be able to obtain a licence.
8.4. Are we causing even more of a divide between smokers and non smokers? For example smoking is allowed in very limited places now is this making the stigma worse?
8.4.1. possibly. society is now used to this. it will one day become the norm such as no smoking in public etc. tobacco tax etc
8.5. Do people not have the right to choose?
8.5.1. yes. buy a licence.
8.6. Many people smoke socially only. What will this mean for them?
8.6.1. unsure. decreased opportunity to bum cigarettes. will probably have to deal with it or buy a licence anyway.
8.6.1.1. will that backfire? will some people who smoke very irregularly buy a licence just so they can smoke while drinking etc?
8.6.1.1.1. no opportunity to trigger a relapse if no licence. no one to borrow from.
9. Criteria
9.1. What is the criteria of obtaining a licence?
9.1.1. Will people who have small children not be able to obtain a licence? Pregnant women? People with health issues that have been linked to smoking? People prone to certain disease genetically? The elderly? How do we differentiate between them?
9.1.1.1. criteria for 'new' smokers to take a general knowledge test so they are familiar with health risks.
9.2. If smoking is bad for the health of all people then how do you decide who exactly to allow to smoke? Would it not be better just to ban altogether?
9.2.1. Is it a way of having some control but avoiding a complete uproar?
9.2.1.1. yes. people can buy a licence and still have the freedom to smoke. Banning is unrealistic.
9.3. Some people smoke only a few a day or just socially, whereas some smoke a pack a day? Will they be treated differently in terms of application?
9.3.1. different licence. apply for a licence according to how much you smoke. eg 10-20 (price goes up with increase)
10. Floodgates
10.1. Are we opening the floodgates for all sorts of licences to brought in?
10.1.1. not a lot of other problems with this much affect on society and health etc that aren't already illegal.