A law that would prevent anyone born after 2009 from ever legally being able to purchase tobacco in the UK was backed by a majority of politicians in a vote on Tuesday, April 16. The UK government says it aims to create “the first smokefree generation”. But how will the ban work, and what happens next?
How will the new UK smoking ban work?
Under the new law, which the government wants to get going by 2027 according to the , the legal age limit for buying tobacco products in the UK will increase by one year every year. It follows similar efforts in countries like New Zealand, which saw its own pioneering ban only recently.
In practice, it means that those born in 2009 or later will never reach the legal age limit, and thus will never be permitted to buy . Anyone currently over the limit, which stands at 18 years of age, will not be affected, and smoking itself will not be banned.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill also seeks to stop young people who have never smoked from picking up a habit instead. A plan to ban disposable vapes in England will be extended to the whole of the UK, a new tax will be introduced, and manufacturers will be forced to modify the flavors and packaging of their products to make them less appealing to children.
Nicotine pouches, which have recently been getting , will also be banned for young people.
What’s been the reaction to the bill?
The bill has cross-party support in the UK and was expected to pass Tuesday’s vote comfortably, which it did by 383 votes to 67. Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said in a that the bill “will save thousands of lives, ease the strain on our NHS and improve the UK’s productivity.”
That’s not to say it hasn’t sparked some controversy, though. A number of MPs from the ruling Conservative party abstained or voted against the bill.
One of those was former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who supporters of the legislation as “finger-wagging nannying control freaks”. Others have questioned the workability of enforcing the ban, or to discourage smoking.
Among health experts, however, there’s a broad consensus that the legislation will be a positive step forward.
“The prime minister’s pledge to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes would have a truly transformative effect on the health of the next generation,” Professor Stephen Holgate, a specialist in immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton. “What an amazing legacy this would be where the Nation’s future health comes before any other interests.”
Professor John Iredale of the University of Bristol agreed: “We owe it to our children and young people to phase out exposure to tobacco. As a Junior doctor I saw over and over the havoc wrought by smoking related disease and death to individuals, breadwinners, the economically active and their families.”
“A once in a lifetime opportunity”
The estimates that more than 8 million people die every year from tobacco use. As well as the clearly documented link to , cigarettes have been associated with a – not just in smokers themselves, but those exposed to cigarette smoke second-hand.
The nicotine in tobacco products is , making a challenge. That’s why health authorities to discourage people from smoking in the first place.
The UK ban has been a . Though there are more hurdles to overcome before it is fully enacted, its proponents will no doubt be buoyed by their latest political victory.
Some have addressed the fact that forecasts are pointing towards a change of government for the country later this year, but given the support for this bill from both sides of the aisle, the road ahead looks fairly clear.
For expert scientists like Professor Ann McNeill of King’s College London, this couldn’t be more welcome: “We have known for decades just how uniquely deadly smoking is, but this knowledge has not been acted upon. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a once in a lifetime opportunity to put this right and see the end of tobacco smoking in a generation.”
“We should all come together and support it.”