With the upcoming uncertainty about Brexit lingering over all aspects of our life, it’s not that surprising that we might start seeing knockoff versions of goods that we currently take for granted in everyday life in this country.

Images VIA

A couple of weeks ago we saw some fake alcohol infiltrating Hull, and now it’s the turn of some fake cigarettes that have been found all over the country on the black market. They probably sound pretty decent because they’re way cheaper than regular cigarettes, but apparently some have been found containing all kinds of weird stuff like arsenic, asbestos, rat droppings and human poo. You definitely don’t wanna be putting any of that in your mouth and smoking it.

Simon Blackburn – a representative form the Local Government Association – had the following to say about this new trend:

The sale of cheap, illegal tobacco is funding organised criminal gangs and damaging legitimate traders.

It is also making it easier for young people to get hooked, which undermines efforts to help people quit.

Fake cigarettes contain even higher levels of cancer-causing toxins than standard cigarettes.

Bigger fines need to be imposed by the courts to deter the sale of illegal tobacco.

Not sure if human poos and rat droppings are more likely to cause cancer than regular cigarettes, but I’m sure they’re not good for you in any case. Of course, the government could quite easily stop the illegal cigarette market by cutting all the tax on real cigarettes, but they’re not gonna do that are they? Assholes.

For more of the same, check out the fake alcohol that was found in Hull. That looks really grim.