cancer
The call for an immediate halt to the sale of tobacco products does not come out of nowhere. Research by the Dutch Cancer Registry and the Dutch Center for Integrated Cancer (IKNL) shows that the number of cancer patients increased by 10% in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to the Gelderlander report. There were at least 124,000 new cancer patients, of whom 14,700 had lung cancer. Carla van Gils of KWF Kankerbestrijding in NU.nl says that smoking is the cause of 80% of lung cancer cases. In addition, smoking causes the death of 20 thousand people annually in the Netherlands, while smoking causes sixteen types of cancer.
ban
Supermarkets will not be allowed to sell tobacco products by 2024. But stores and gas stations may continue to sell tobacco until 2030. Is this still possible? The supermarket chain Lidl stopped selling tobacco products in 2021. “Go to Lidl, these other scammers don’t come back,” addiction doctor Robert van de Graaf tells his patients, it can be read in AD.
KWF Kankerbestrijding also believes that vendors play an important role in human health.
Why is there no ban?
Others believe that smoking is a personal matter and that the government is caring enough. Lots of arguments against the call to stop tobacco sales are shared on Twitter. For example, Eileen believes that the government interferes too much in it.
Arya believes that the problem is not only related to tobacco products.
This Twitterer believes that outright bans on the sale of tobacco products will lead to illegal sales. It suggests that sales should gradually decline.
Join the conversation
Do you think sellers should stop selling tobacco products immediately? Or can everyone decide for themselves whether they want to smoke or not, and is the government too patronizing? Join the conversation on our website Facebook page†