One Scottish city is offering a fairly odd incentive for people to stop smoking. In Dundee, people who come from poorer areas in the city will get $25 with which they can buy groceries. This money, of course, comes with a catch — these people will have to take tests weekly to show that they have not gone back to smoking.
The anti-smoking campaign group Ash welcomed this new idea with open arms.
Amanda Sandford of the group said, "We think it could really help those particularly disadvantaged people who find it really hard to quit – having this sort of extra incentive given to them in the form of vouchers, which they can exchange for food."
"Given that food prices are rising, the people on low income really have to count for every single penny… So having a scheme where they are rewarded for quitting smoking, I think could work."
So basically it has come down to bribing smokers to quit. Surely, a low-income family of four will not see much help from $25 a week but it seems that smoking has become such a taboo that people are going to any means to have it banned.
[Via: ABC News]
