The UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has proposed a cigarette ban for younger generations. This proposal might result in the UK having some of the strictest smoking regulations in the world. According to UK media reports, if this idea becomes legislation, the legal smoking age for children might rise by one year each year, with the possibility of a complete smoking ban among young people by 2040.
UK Is All Set To Ban Cigarettes For Younger Gen
The UK may join New Zealand, which unveiled a similar proposal last year, as the first nation in Europe to outlaw smoking for the benefit of future generations. Young people in the UK who turn 14 in 2023 or younger will not be able to legally buy cigarettes in England if the idea is passed into law.
In the UK, it is now unlawful to offer cigarettes or other tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18. Government statistics show that smoking is the UK’s leading preventable cause of death, accounting for around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 cases in England alone, and costing the economy and wider community £17 billion annually.
The UK government’s proposal, which is only applicable to England and currently leaves out Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, forbids the sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 14 after 2023. Smoking won’t be “criminalized,” but the change will ensure that everyone who can currently lawfully purchase cigarettes won’t be barred from doing so in the future. (as per Moneycontrol)
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Vaping Too Might See A Ban
The government wants to allocate an additional £70 million a year to local support services, more than doubling the amount already allocated for stop-smoking programs. This will assist about 360,000 people in quitting smoking.
Additionally, the UK government will provide £5 million more in 2023 and then £15 million a year beginning in 2024 to support national tobacco marketing initiatives that explain the changes, the advantages of quitting, and the resources available. A new nationwide “swap to stop” program that will assist 1 million smokers in switching to vapes will also be implemented.
Another significant crackdown on vaping, which is becoming more popular among young people despite being illegal, was also announced by the UK government. According to data, vaping has increased among young people in the last three years, and more kids now vape than smoke. (as per Moneycontrol)
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