Mark Littlewood in Conversation with Simon Clark

May 28, 2019 | On 16th May 2019, to mark the 40th anniversary of the smokers' group FOREST (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco), Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, spoke to Forest director Simon Clark.

This country has gone completely over-the-top with its anti-smoking legislation. The war on smoking and smokers shows no sign of coming to an end, either. Smoking has become the bête noire of our day. Fact is, however, some people do far worse things than smoke a cigarette. Yet the powers-that-be do little about those questionable and unhealthy activities. Yet on smokers, it's open season. I write as an ex-smoker. But when I smoked, I smoked for pleasure and for no other reason. The problem today, though, is that trying to enjoy a cigarette has been made so difficult for people that much of the pleasure has been taken out of the pleasurable habit. There is also no rhyme – © Mark Alexander or reason in the taxes placed on cigarettes. Smokers are easy targets for the taxman. – © Mark Alexander