The headline
Despite opposition from conservatives, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on Tuesday approved a bill that will prohibit tobacco sales to anyone born in 2009 or later. This policy was advanced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hopes to create a “smoke-free generation” in Britain.
Vital Facts
By a vote of 383–67, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill prohibits the sale of tobacco products to individuals born after January 1, 2009, but does not outlaw smoking.
If the measure is signed into law, individuals who are currently permitted to purchase tobacco will once again be able to do so. However, the legal age for tobacco sales will increase by one year annually.
In addition, the bill contains provisions intended to reduce the appeal of vapes and other nicotine products to minors by regulating their packaging and marketing.
Notwithstanding the 57 votes cast in opposition to the measure by members of the Conservative Party in parliament, 178 members of the party cast their ballots in support of the legislation.
Each Labour Party member of parliament with a left-leaning inclination cast a vote in support of the measure.
What To Observe
As per the Guardian, additional amendments are expected to be appended to the measure, encompassing provisions regarding the age of individuals impacted and licensing prerequisites for vape retailers. It is anticipated that the House of Lords will vote on the measure for final ratification in June.
The Chief Defective critic
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson referred to the smoking prohibition as “completely absurd” and described the Conservative Party’s consideration of “banning cigars” as “irrational.” Former prime minister and Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss, characterized the legislation as “nanny state” and “archetypal of a technocratic establishment” that seeks to “restrict people’s freedom.”
Contrary to
The bill’s proposition was supported by a number of health care organizations and officials, including the U.K.’s public health minister, Neil O’Brien, who stated last year that the legislation would “prevent a generation of children from ever encountering the detrimental effects of tobacco.” The executive director of Cancer Research UK, Ian Walker, described the legislation as a “crucial step toward establishing the first generation free of tobacco.” According to a survey conducted by YouGov in October, approximately 33% of individuals in the United Kingdom support phasing out smoking through the prohibition, while 29% intend to support an outright ban.
Unexpected A Fact
According to the Office for National Statistics, approximately 6.4 million individuals, or 12.9%, of the population of the United Kingdom are smokers. Action on Smoking and Health estimates that approximately 400,000 minors aged 11 to 15 have attempted to smoke. Approximately 11.5% of American adults (28.3 million) are smokers.
A significant 80,000. The BBC estimates that this is the annual death toll from tobacco use in the United Kingdom, with long-term consumers accounting for approximately two-thirds of the cases. By the end of the century, the smoking prohibition is projected to have prevented over 470,000 cases of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other ailments, according to the British government.
Key In the background
The smoking prohibition was implemented by Sunak a year ago, several months after a comparable legislation was introduced in New Zealand, which aimed to annually increase the legal smoking age. That legislation was defeated in February. In recent years, numerous nations have enacted stringent anti-tobacco legislation, including Mexico, which last year enacted a comprehensive prohibition on smoking in public spaces. The Portuguese government unveiled its strategy to establish a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040, which includes expanding prohibitions on smoking in public and restricting tobacco sales, in May of last year.
