DAILY MAIL: Smokers could be forced to pay for a Government tobacco licence in order to carry on buying cigarettes under draconian proposals being considered by ministers.
Government advisers have drawn up plans for a smoking permit - similar to the one needed to watch TV - which all smokers would have to carry.
Health experts have welcomed the move, pointing out that Britons are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than those in any other European country. But the idea has triggered a furious backlash from smokers' groups, who claim it is evidence of a "bully state".
Under the plans, anyone who refused to pay for a permit would be banned from buying cigarettes from any outlet.
Although a licence could cost as little as £10 a year, forms would be made deliberately complex to deter people from applying.
Smokers could also be forced to obtain a doctor's signature, declaring their health was not at "massive risk" from their habit.
The scheme is the brainchild of Julian Le Grand, a professor at the London School of Economics, who heads the ministerial advisory board, Health England.
Yesterday, he claimed the idea would help many smokers break the habit if they had to make a decision whether to "opt in". Smokers could be forced to buy £10 licence just for the privilege of lighting up >>> By James Chapman
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