No Smoking. Ever.

A group of British Columbians has what it calls "a better idea" to curb the ill-effects of cigarettes on individuals and society. Supporters of "Susan's Battle" want age limits for cigarette sales replaced with a sliding "born after" date. In other words, if you were born after a certain date, you couldn't buy cigarettes. So as the years pass, the legal age for purchasing cigarettes would go up until eventually, no new young smokers could legally buy cigarettes.

We have to decide as a society whether or not we are going to allow this product to continue to be sold. It kills people- Art Van Pelt

"We have to decide as a society whether or not we are going to allow this product to continue to be sold. It kills people," says the group's founder, Art Van Pelt. He says the phased in ban would decrease the likelihood of a black market emerging. He says an overnight ban would force current smokers to look for illegal sources of tobacco. 

Van Pelt founded the group as a tribute to his wife Susan who died last year of tobacco-related cancer, 23 years after she quit smoking herself.

The group also proposes restricting tobacco sales to regulated venues such as government liquor stores. We hear from the group's spokesman Art Van Pelt, and we'd love to hear what you think about the idea. Send your email to The180@cbc.ca.