And Now, the War on Passive Drinking

The first few paragraphs of this story read like a delicious spoof, like something out of the Onion.

The campaigns to combat the effects of ‘passive smoking’ are widely credited for Europe’s growing number of smoking bans. Now alcohol is in the sights of the public health lobbyists, and they have invented the concept of 'passive drinking' as their killer argument.

I have seen a leaked draft report for the European Commission, which is due to be published some time in June. It makes claims about the high environmental or social toll of alcohol, the 'harm done by someone else's drinking'. The report is likely to inform proposals for a European Union alcohol strategy later this year.

Dr Peter Anderson, the report’s lead author, who has a background in the World Health Organisation (WHO) and plays a leading role in Tobacco Free Initiative Europe, tells me that the concept of social harm takes the alcohol debate beyond the traditional limits of individual choice and addiction. 'You can make the argument that what an individual drinks is up to them, provided they understand what they are doing and bearing in mind that alcohol is a dependency-producing drug…. But when you talk about harm to others then that is a societal concern and justification for doing something about it.' 

By this time it dawns that Anderson and his fellow nannies are completely straight-faced about the whole thing. In fact, they're getting set to propose

shorter bar opening hours, days when shops cannot sell alcohol, health warnings, and higher taxes to put off drinkers across Europe. 

Sound familiar?

[hat tip: Robert Daunno]

Comments

[Dawdy]

not that it wasn't obvious to us all, but i've been predicting for a long time that smoking and food weren't enough for these guys...that they'd come after booze. there, they will find the third rail of public life.

btw, the whole "well it afects others' argument sure sounds a lot like the noxious cymbalta 'depression hurts' ad campaign, wherein they say 'depression hurts everyone' and show images of children hovering the background and a worried looking bloodhound.

[Martin Owens]

There is no pleasing these people, because their first commandment is never to be appeased. They want unlimited power over the rest of us- food and drink, body and soul, what we say and what we do, what we believe and what we are taught; our finances,investments, jobs, hobbies, and beliefs. It is high time everyone realized that WE are not the problem- THEY are.

Normal people arise! Next time someone tells you how unhealthy and bad for the environment and insensitive and un-artisitic and non-progressive your lifestyle is....
make good use of public transportation. Push the bastard in front of a bus.

[Amsterdamsky]

Fi fi fo fum I smell the political agenda of a goatfucker...