The costs and benefits of a cigarette ban

J Med Ethics. 2017 Jun;43(6):411-412. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2017-104172. Epub 2017 Mar 3.

Abstract

The death toll from tobacco is staggering: it might contribute to one billion premature deaths over the course of the 21st century. In 'The case for banning cigarettes', Kalle Grill and Kristin Voigt argue that the well-being and equality benefits of a complete ban on cigarettes more than justify the restrictions on autonomy that such a ban would impose. Their argument depends on two crucial simplifications: an assumption that the ban would be effective and the restriction of the analysis to a comparison with the status quo, rather than a broader range of policy options. I argue that despite the authors' claims, these two simplifications make it impossible for their argument to 'bring into focus the fundamental normative issues' surrounding a possible cigarette ban, since they dramatically overstate the benefits and obscure the most significant costs of such a ban.

Keywords: Autonomy; Ethics; Public Health Ethics; Substance Abusers/Users of Controlled Substances.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Commerce / economics*
  • Commerce / ethics
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis*
  • Humans
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Public Policy*
  • Smoking / economics*
  • Smoking / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Smoking / psychology
  • Smoking Prevention / economics*
  • Smoking Prevention / ethics
  • Social Change*
  • Tobacco Products / economics*
  • Tobacco Products / supply & distribution