In June this year, our Coalition Government agreed a general response to the European Commission’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) at a meeting of European health ministers in Luxembourg.
Unfortunately, because the Conservative Public Health Minister, Anna Soubry, avoided the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, Members of Parliament were denied the opportunity to discuss the directive and the ramifications of its proposals are only now beginning to emerge.
The campaign website has more information, but here are five reasons to oppose the Tobacco Products Directive:
1.Have we learned nothing from history? Prohibition doesn’t work.
2.Excessive regulation will deny consumers choice and drive them to the black market and online contraband sales.
3.Criminal gangs will make a fortune manufacturing and selling prohibited products while legal businesses will lose income and the HMRC the tax receipts.
4.Don’t let the EU impose an extreme regulatory agenda on UK consumers .
5.What next – alcohol, sugary drinks, convenience foods, salt levels, Caffeine and alcohol drinks? Lobbyists are already campaigning for such laws
