Editorial: Smoke gets in your face

Tobacco is a harmful and addictive drug. Photo/Thinkstock

There's a killer in our midst. His foul stench wafts through your homes and cars, stinking up doorways and outdoor eating areas in town.

Back in the day he was the life of the party - everybody wanted a piece of him. But over time he became something of a pariah, frowned upon and no longer welcome in many establishments.

He's banned from workplaces, forced out on to the streets, but still a select few seek his comfort, knowing it could be a fatal dalliance but unable, or unwilling, to resist.

You'd think someone would do something about him.

His name is tobacco.

Tobacco is a harmful and addictive drug. It's a wonder it's still legal.

The World Health Organisation has described it as the only consumer product that kills half its users when used as the manufacturer intends.

And that's what sets it apart from other legal drugs.

Any argument about the perils of smoking is bound to prompts calls to focus instead on alcohol, fast food and sugary drinks and snacks. But these can be enjoyed in moderation.

Our Government wants to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes. That'll come as a relief to those grossed out by pictures of diseased body parts on today's packets. Feedback from our readers strongly suggests many think plain packs won't work.

But a Cambridge University study predicts plain packaging would lead to a 1 per cent reduction in adult smokers (and 3 per cent of children) within two years.

That's plenty of lives saved, I guess, but there must be more effective measures.

At the same time our city is looking to limit sales of so-called legal highs, it's a pity more can't be done to legally restrict the availability of tobacco and hopefully one day see the end of smoking altogether.