Guido’s view on Rishi’s various smoking bans has been clear. Prohibition generally doesn’t work in practice…

Now, on top of his New Zealand-style smoking ban and crack down on vapes marketing and flavours, Rishi will be announcing further bans today: disposable vapes. In order to “protect children’s health“, our teetotal Prime Minister has decided that banning all disposable vapes, for adults as well, is a good legacy to leave behind. Another victory for the nanny-state…

Though the bans are likely to go through, friends of the free-market are not happy; we know how the free-market wonks felt about the ban when the plans started to gather steam. Disposable vapes are an inexpensive way for adult smokers to wean off cigarettes, as the Institute of Economic Affairs noted, the ban is a “pro-smoking policy“. According to WeVapeUK director Mark Oates, “This will lead 600,000 premature deaths due to the increase in smoking rates.” Noxious…

As well as restricting freedom, the bans are likely to to hit hard taxpayers’ wallet too, with the smoking ban alone expected to cost the government £9 billion a year. Those on the right of the party have also blasted the bans, with Liz Truss saying: “While the state has a duty to protect children from harm, in a free society, adults must be able to make their own choices about their own lives“. What have they been smoking…