Smoking, outdoors or indoors, may soon become a thing of folklore for entire generations in the UK. Photo credit: Roee Yossef, Pexels.
British lawmakers voted to advance what would be one of the world’s strictest anti-smoking measures, with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill progressing to the next stage of parliamentary approval.
The bill aims to create a "smokefree generation" by banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009, effectively prohibiting smoking for anyone 15 years old or younger across the UK.
This legislation follows an earlier proposal under the previous Conservative government, which stalled after the election was called. However, the new Labour government confirmed over the summer that it would move forward with similar laws.
Additionally, the new bill grants the government the authority to extend the current indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor areas, potentially including children's playgrounds, and the areas surrounding schools and hospitals, following public consultation. It also introduces a licensing scheme for the sale of tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products, and extend plain packaging laws to all tobacco products, not just cigarettes.
In addition, the bill includes several measures to curb youth vaping, such as banning vape advertisements across all media channels and prohibiting vape vending machines. The government will gain new powers to regulate the design of vape products and make changes to their packaging and display.
Responding to concerns raised by some MPs regarding the effect the new bill will have on people’s “privacy and personal liberty,” Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care, said, “There is no freedom in addiction.”
The bill will now proceed to the committee stage before its third reading in the House of Commons. Afterward, it will advance to the House of Lords and finally receive "Royal Assent," a formal step that requires no additional debate.