There’s no smoke without ire ...

Jul 31 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SMOKING - it’s not big and it’s not clever.

But is it socially acceptable.

A few weeks ago the Examiner ran a story about how 89-year-old Elizabeth Hobbs had been barred from smoking in her room at a care home.

The care home claimed they were following the rules but our posters said they were not.

However the discussion ended up talking about a slightly different point.

Otis posed the question: “What is the ruling if you’re in prison? Presumably they have to let you out to go for a fag, otherwise they are denying your human rights?”

Nomasmadnow, who seems knowledgeable on these things, added: “Taxpayers have footed a £1m compensation bill after almost 200 drug-addicted prisoners sued the Government, claiming that denying them a heroin substitute breached their human rights.

“The prisoners claimed that their rights were infringed when they were deprived of methadone and had to go ‘cold turkey’.”

Regular poster Waspish added: “Throw ‘em into a cell with three buckets and a mattress. Make ‘em do cold turkey for six weeks.

“Then put them in a cell for a year with no access to any drugs, (solitary if necessary) then release them.

“If that doesn’t teach them to leave drugs alone nowt will. Prison should be a deterrent, not a holiday, and while I’m helping to pay for it we should have a say on the way these morons are treated.”

Blimey!

A man who sounds like he should know what he is talking about is DrDave53. The aforementioned good doctor, no doubt with dodgy handwriting, added: “I think the point was that prisoners are given more consideration than this poor lady. Actually I know it was. Otis; prisoners are allowed to smoke in their cells and allocated smoking areas. Unless you happen to be in Rampton secure psychiatric unit.”