Hey there,

Thank you for your submission

I understand your point, and I agree that there are many harmful effects of tobacco. However, we are not here as a Students Union to police peoples choices. We believe that we can help support people if they want it, and we can provide people with information around a product, and we can encourage people to make healthier choices, but we cannot simply disallow people not do things they want to do. You need to be over 18 to buy these products, just as you need to be ovr 18 to buy alcohol and any other similar product, and as people are adults, they have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and choices. 

Further, simply removing tobacco and cigarettes will not stop people smoking, it will simply tell them that the Union condemns it, and then they will not feel able to come to us or the university if they wish to recieve help for this. We would instead like to encourage people to get help for any smoking addiciton, remind people of the harmful effects of smoking, and allow them to make informed choices about what they buy and consume. This is the same line we go down with alcohol, gambling, and other substances, which we call the 'harm reduction' approach. 

If you would like to get involved in any campaigns to do with this, please dont hesitate to email me at welfare@soton.ac.uk, and we can talk through this.

Thanks,
Laura Barr, VP Welfare and Communities 19/20

25/10/2019.