Sympathy for smokers SIR – Re letter (T&A, June 28) “Smoking at hospital entrances”.
The Government raises £14.8 billion each year from smoking and it costs the country £12 billion in health problems and other costs. If this figure was reversed, the Government may ban smoking, or so you would think, but the Government is also saving £100 billion in unpaid pensions etc due to premature deaths through smoking.
As the majority of smokers are low-paid working class or unemployed ‘underclass’, those in power are quite happy to keep the status quo.
There used to be smoking shelters in hospitals but these social lepers are now harangued and harassed to stand in the cold.
Have sympathy for someone experiencing the stress of a hospital stay who is unfortunate enough to be an addict and a victim of the capitalist tobacco industry.
Graham Binns, St George’s Place, Little Horton
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