British parliamentarians approved a bill to ban people under 17 from buying cigarettes and vapes throughout life. The Tobacco and Vapes Law seeks to prevent anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 (currently 17 years old) starts smoking.
The Minister of Health, Wes Streeting, classified the approval of the project as “historic moment for the health of the nation”which will lead to “first generation smoke freewith lifetime protection against addiction and damage.”
Once it receives royal sanction and becomes lawthe regulations will give the government powers to extend the ban on indoor spaces to outdoor areassuch as playgrounds and places close to schools and hospitals.
It will also give authorities new powers to restrict the flavors and packaging of electronic cigarettes (vapes)as well as prohibiting its consumption in places where smoking is already prohibited.
The bill is part of a series of initiatives to reinforce preventive health measures and ease long-term pressure on the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
Hazel Cheeseman, director of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), told the broadcaster LBC that the initiative is “a decisive inflection point for public health”.
The Labor Party government introduced in June last year a ban on the sale of cheap, disposable electronic cigarettes with colorful packagingwhich made them very popular among young people.
Em 2022, New Zealand became the first country to enact such an anti-smoking lawo, banning the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2008. But, less than a year later, a conservative coalition who had just been elected repealed the lawin November 2023.
Not UK, Smoking causes around 75,000 deaths per year and is responsible for approximately a quarter of all deaths, according to the NHS.
