The Return of the Nanny State

Or maybe its no sign-maker left behind.

The latest ‘nanny-state’ move by state government comes in the form of new, graphic public service advertisements that stores selling cigarettes will apparently be forced to display.

State government can apparently enact this purely through administrative means, all that is needed is a DPH proposal plus approval by the “Public Health Council”.

Look, I get that smoking is a bad thing and I think we tax it, label it, and counterpromote about it a great deal. This is a good thing, but some people can’t stop themselves.

To get real personal about this, some of us live in places where the convenience stores sell cigarettes (and even lottery tickets, gasp) as a matter of course. I’d prefer not to have to explain to young children what the grotesque pictures are about (and not have the government forcing them on me).

And the kicker in all this? What’s the source of funding for the posters? $316k in federal stimulus money. And you wonder why people are cynical.