Fairtrade tobacco?

[chem1st]

I watched a programme last night about child labour in the tobacco industry in Africa, and how the farmers get a very raw deal, along with the children as young as 3 that they employ.

 

It got me thinking, should there be fairtrade tobacco. I for one would be prepared to pay extra for my tobacco, if it were to benefit the workers.

 

Given that the cost of a single cigarette is about 30p nowadays in the UK, the majority of that being tax, I also think moral responsibility falls upon our money grabbing government to make sure the workers, be they 3 years old or 60 year old, get paid a fair price for the tobacco they produce.

[slimsid2000]

I don't care as long as you don't smoke the damn stuff near me.

[YouFo666]

I watched a programme last night about child labour in the tobacco industry in Africa, and how the farmers get a very raw deal, along with the children as young as 3 that they employ.

 

It got me thinking, should there be fairtrade tobacco. I for one would be prepared to pay extra for my tobacco, if it were to benefit the workers.

 

Given that the cost of a single cigarette is about 30p nowadays in the UK, the majority of that being tax, I also think moral responsibility falls upon our money grabbing government to make sure the workers, be they 3 years old or 60 year old, get paid a fair price for the tobacco they produce.

 

Still mourning the loss of the mouldy Kilo then chem1st ?? :hihi:

[chem1st]

removed double post

[chem1st]

Still mourning the loss of the mouldy Kilo then chem1st ?? :hihi:

 

A little, I couldn't bring myself to smoke it, I did pick off the mould and dry it in the oven, but it still smelled, so I had to let it go.

 

At least it was duty free! I'd have cried otherwise! Tbh I'd forgot I'd got it, that's why I'd not dried and stored it properly.

[Phanerothyme]

American Spirit.

 

If you're going to smoke the stuff, it might as well be this.

[Wildcat]

chem1st, there should be fairtrade tobacco but I am not aware of any. from googling I can see 1st nation launched ethically sourced cigarettes a few years ago, but their website seems to have been closed. So I guess there wasn't a market for it.

 

 

Phan,

 

what is this about? do we need a typeface to read it?

 

⑈⑉⑉⑇⑉ ⑇⑈⑉⑈⑉⑉ ⑉⑈⑉⑉⑈⑉⑇⑈ ⑉⑈⑉⑉⑈⑈⑉

[Phanerothyme]

It's Top Secret. Sorry.

[chem1st]

chem1st, there should be fairtrade tobacco but I am not aware of any. from googling I can see 1st nation launched ethically sourced cigarettes a few years ago, but their website seems to have been closed. So I guess there wasn't a market for it.

 

I suppose it can be easily argued, that it should be up to government to divert money to subsidise the farmers and workers.

 

I can buy a kg for £x duty free and it will cost me 4(£x) if you include duty. The farmer gets (£x)/40 for his kg.

 

So for every £1 on tobacco, 75p goes to the government and less than a 2/3 of a penny to the farmer (who has to pay the child labourers etc.).

[Rupert_Baehr]

...So for every £1 on tobacco, 75p goes to the government and less than a 2/3 of a penny to the farmer (who has to pay the child labourers etc.).

 

Well, if you reduce that by a factor of 10 - so the farmer gets 2/30 of a penny - perhaps you'll have fewer drug dealers growing tobacco to addict young children in Western countries.

 

Make tobacco growing uneconomical and you'll drive the drug growers out of business.