Much of good campaigning is like joined-up thinking, or rather playing a game of consequences in advance.
As I keep say:- Take the overview, but keep an eye on the details.
A Healthcare ban which has resulted in dire consequences.
The change in the UK law which bans smoking indoors has been universally welcomed, but it has and is causing an environmental crisis.
This is because smoking is now done outdoors in the street, where instead of cigarettes stubbed out in ashtrays, they are thrown out on the ground. At which point they are blown along the street, landing up in the drains, road sides, rivers, and the sea.
Cigarette stubs contain a lot of toxic chemicals, and are Not biodegradable.
While children see many more people smoking outdoors or on the streets, which in turn normalises how they view this activity.
At the same time there are many more individuals vapping , that is using E cigarettes, which results in a growth in the number of people suffering from popcorn lung disease.
What is also forgotten is that these e cigarettes are not easy to recycle, and there are no facilities in most places to do so.
Thus we have a number of inter-related health and environmental problems which effect us all.
What might be done about these problems?
The obvious answer to me is much more health education, and measures to prevent people smoking, but it goes way beyond that.
What we should be doing is promoting health campaigns which show the environmental damage which smoking results in.
It is very much a case of health care workers and environmental activists together to solve these problems.
While on a local level this must mean Local Heath Trusts working in co-operation with the local waste authorities.
Yet all these problems will not be solved unless there is much more help extended to another group in society – Rough Sleepers.