The Freedom Association yesterday declared its support for the campaign opposing the plain packaging of tobacco.
Simon Richards, director of The Freedom Association, said: “Attempts to force plain packs on tobacco companies are yet another unjustifiable assault on people’s right to make their own decisions about their own spending choices and activities.
“Freedom to advertise and promote one’s own products and services is a fundamental part of a free society. It is no coincidence that such freedom does not exist in totalitarian regimes such as North Korea. I urge anybody who cares about freedom, smokers and non-smokers alike, to support the Hands Off Our Packs campaign”.
Simon Richards
Hands Off Our Packs campaigner Angela Harbutt said: “We are delighted that The Freedom Association has joined us in this fight against plain packaging. The recent revelation that politicians are already considering plain packaging of alcohol shows that this is not just about smoking or tobacco. It’s about excessive regulation in the general and the infantilisation of society.”
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest which runs the Hands Off Our Packs campaign, said: “We are building a coalition of the sane. There is no evidence that plain packaging will stop underage smoking and even those who support the measure admit that it won’t do anything to persuade existing smokers to stop. “We look forward to other groups and individuals joining our campaign. “Plain packaging serves no purpose other than to denormalise a legal product and ten million adult consumers who contribute £10 billion a year to the Treasury. It’s economic madness and another blow for individual freedom.”
The Freedom Association
- The Freedom Association is a non-partisan, libertarian pressure group dedicated to fighting for individual liberty and freedom of expression. For more information please go to www.tfa.net
- Hands Off Our Packs is managed by Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco). Forest is supported by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco Limited and Gallaher Limited (a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies).
- For further information on the campaign please go to www.handsoffourpacks.com.See also www.forestonline.org
- Campaign logos and web banners are available on request or you can visit: www.handsoffourpacks.com/take-action/campaign-tools/
