Get Paid to Quit Smoking

If your city government paid you $25 a week to quit smoking, would you do it?

That’s exactly what one city in Scotland is doing for its lower-income residents. They will receive a $25 voucher (£12.50) from the city that is supposed to go toward fresh food and quitting smoking efforts. To continue receiving the money, residents must take weekly tests to prove they aren’t lighting up. One anti-smoking campaigner is optimistic that the plan will work because rising food prices force those on low incomes to account for every cent. So by receiving extra help with food, it should ease some of their stress, which could help them quit smoking.  

While the city’s intentions are in the right place, is it too invasive to have city governments so involved with their residents’ lives? What are some other ways cities could motivate their residents without resorting to drug testing them on a weekly basis? [BBC News]