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Take smoking legislation further
Tuesday June 24 2008 By Doug Harkness I was in line to pick up my Banner at the local variety store the other day and had to wait an annoyingly long time. You see the clerk had to rifle through the monolithic grey display not once but twice for people in front of me looking for some obscure brand of cigarettes.  
It made me wonder how long it would be until store owners would start using that area for something a little more prominent and start locking their smokes under the counter. They might even be able to negotiate slotting fees from some big chocolate cartel or the like in order to increase revenues. I even hear of an enterprising company that is installing new displays in exchange for advertising space.
However, I digress. I must admit that I applaud our provincial government (a rare admittance for me with the current lot) on their tough new stance on smoking. The removal of the power walls and the ban on smoking in cars with minors are great first steps when combined with previous changes under the smoke free Ontario Act.  
It’s time now though to take the debate further. It’s time to start talking about an outright ban on smoking.
I’m sure that my friends who currently partake in the habit will be howling about such a stance, but ask them if they want their kids to smoke? The conversation suddenly gets quiet.
The powerful cigarette lobby will have to have the chance to say their piece as well. They’ll argue that there is no way any Canadian government would ever ban smoking, not with the $6 billion in tax revenue the vice generates each year. They always seem to forget to mention the other side of the equation though, the one that shows how much more our health care costs as a result of smoking.  
Without getting into a purely statistical column, I’m betting a smoking ban would have an economic net benefit.
There are some who do have legitimate concerns, and those include tobacco farmers and variety store owners. The tobacco farmers would be the toughest to find a solution for, while helping store owners would be relatively easy.  
Our provincial government could increase the cut they provide to store owners for the sale of lottery tickets and could further break their monopoly on the sale of alcohol by allowing more availability at some corner stores, especially at remote locations like, say, the Marsville General Store. The impact of the legislation could also be lessened by introducing no smoking legislation with the father of all grandfather laws.  
Rather than an immediate outright ban, which would cause legitimate problems for those already hooked on the vile weed, it could be introduced gradually. Maybe make it effective for those under 18 on the date the legislation is enacted or something like that.
I won’t be holding my breath (pun intended) waiting for it to happen though. It just makes far too much sense.

Doug Harkness is a long-time member of the Orangeville community with a keen interest in local, provincial and federal politics. 

North Peel Media Group Newspapers: The Brampton Guardian Caledon Enterprise Independent & Free Press Orangeville Banner