The end of cigarettes
Toughest smoking ban in Europe: Brits vote on draft law for the first time
Children and young people aged 15 or younger will soon no longer be able to legally buy cigarettes in Great Britain
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On Tuesday evening, the British Parliament voted for the first time on a draft law that would gradually ban smoking completely.
It is set to be the toughest smoking ban planned on the European continent. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to ban anyone who turns 15 or under this year from ever being able to buy cigarettes. That’s what it’s supposed to do Smoking will be banned completely in Great Britain step by step.
The “Tobacco and Vapes Bill” is intended to affect everyone born after January 1, 2009. The smoking ban does not affect anyone born in 2008 or earlier. Implementation is targeted for 2027. The legal selling age for cigarettes in England should therefore be raised by one year every year until it is finally illegal for the entire population to smoke. Smoking is currently permitted in the United Kingdom, as here in Germany, from the age of 18.
“Tobacco and Vapes Bill” also aims to restrict sales of vapes
The draft law also deals with e-cigarettes. For example, the flavors of vapes should be limited to prevent the products from being attractive to children and young people.
The law is also intended to prevent vape product manufacturers from using bright colors to make their products too attractive to children and young people. The authorities should also be able to impose fines on shops that sell tobacco products to children and young people.
The smoking ban cleared its first hurdle in the British Parliament on Tuesday evening. After the debate, MPs voted 383 to 67 in favor of a second reading of the bill.
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It is estimated that 80,000 people in the UK die every year as a result of smoking. This affects around two thirds of long-term smokers. Almost every minute, a patient is brought to the hospital with complaints related to smoking – some heart attacks, strokes or lung cancer. Sunak says 470,000 cases like this could be prevented by a smoking ban.
Boris Johnson: Anti-smoking law ‘absolutely crazy’
Health experts welcome the British government’s plans. Criticism comes primarily from the liberal-minded ranks of the Conservative Party around Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Among the Tories’ prominent opponents are former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. In their view, the plans violate conservative values such as people’s personal freedom. Former Prime Minister Johnson described the law as “absolutely crazy”. “We’re banning cigars. Why a ban – Winston Churchill’s party wants to ban cigars… ‘Donnez moi un break’ (‘give me a break’) as they say in Quebec. That’s just crazy.”
A final vote in the British House of Lords is expected in mid-June. Because the law has the support of the Labor Party, it is currently assumed that the Conservatives’ push will be successful. In New Zealand, a law was also planned that would ban smoking for future generations. However, the new government overturned the package in February.