Smoke hides drugs problem

The government has taken strong action against cigarette smoking and banned it from all public places on health grounds,

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The authorities also seem to be getting really involved to ensure that the law is observed, so what about drugs and alcohol? Aren't they just as dangerous? Personally, I think they're even worse.

Cigarette smoking might cause an individual bad health and endanger passive smokers, it may also be a burden on the NHS, but speaking as a non-smoker, I think it poses far less of a problem to the stability of our society than drugs and alcohol do!

Addaction - Britain's largest specialist drug and alcohol treatment charity recently did a survey which seems to support my view.

It found that teenage drug and alcohol abuse is becoming a significant cause of family breakdowns, through divorce, separation, children leaving home or being taken into care.

I can see how that could be. People's personalities change under the influence of drugs and drink.

They can lie cheat and steal from there families and even get violent towards there own parents and siblings whilst "Under the influence"!

As a result of being desperate for another "hit" of drugs or booze, and on top of any other problems in the family, this can easily be enough to break the family apart.

It's mad, because the sad truth is that it's often easier for teenagers to buy cannabis and other drugs from the nearest underpass or street corner than it is for them to buy cigarettes from their local shop!

Also I'm inclined to think that big businesses can't be trusted to be ethical.

I personally reckon that when alcoholic drink manufacturers began producing alcopops and fruit flavored shots, they knew very well that they were likely to edge into a new market, that of the underage drinker!

This is very illegal and irresponsible, but also easily denied and a clever way of increasing those all so important profits and hooking in a new generation of customers in the face of competition from the health and nutrition sector!

Street violence and gun gangs seem to be an increasing problem for the authorities and the government is inclined to think that children from one parent families are more likely to become involved in crime.

So I put this, if the stability of traditional family units is now also under attack from the menace of teenage drug and alcohol abuse, why isn't it of a great concern, or perhaps even greater concern to the government than cigarette smoking!?