New UK smoking laws mean you could be banned from buying cigarettes if born after a certain year
A change to smoking laws in the UK means that an entire generation will soon never be allowed to legally buy cigarettes.
The King's Speech took place yesterday, outlining the new Labour government's legislative agenda following their landslide general election win on 4 July.
One of the main talking points from the speech, alongside abolishing age bands in national living wage and changing the way that junk food is advertised to children, was the mention of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
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First announced by Rishi Sunak in January this year, it introduces new measures so the government can crack down on the number of young people becoming addicted to smoking and vaping.
The bill received support across all parties, even being called the 'greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation'.
Back in April, MPs voted in favour of the bill by 383 votes to 67, though the bill was dropped after a general election was called, before being reinstated by the new government.
But what would be changing with this new bill?
What are the smoking laws in the UK right now?
Firstly, the pre-existing laws in the UK today state that you must be 18 or above to purchase tobacco or a vape in the country.
The last big change to smoking laws came in 2007, when the nation raised the legal smoking age from 16 and banned smoking in all nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and workplaces.
There are currently no nationwide restrictions on vaping in public areas at the time of writing, as it is also not illegal to vape indoors unless an establishment has specifically banned it.
How would the smoking ban work?
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is set to follow the measures put in place in New Zealand last December, with the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 prohibited.
It means that the legal smoking age would gradually increase, making it illegal for the next generation to ever buy cigarettes.
If everything is in place by 2027, anyone aged 14 and under today will never be able to buy tobacco, in any form.
The bill will also change the way that vapes are sold, ensuring that the branding and packaging of them don't appeal to children and young people, while popular flavours among children will be banned too.
The likes of bubblegum and candy floss will be the first out the door, as young people prefer sweeter flavours to others, such as menthol.
Other products, such as tobacco pouches, will also have their packaging and display altered, so that young people do not get drawn into smoking.
What did Labour say in their manifesto?
They stated: “Prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure. So, we must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives.
“That starts with smoking. Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes and ensure all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care.
“Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine."
Why are the government looking to ban smoking?
Back in 2019, the government set the goal of England being smoke free by 2030, meaning only five percent of the population would still be smoking by then.
Dr Javed Khan led a major review of the target, where it was slated that the target would be missed by seven years at best, with the poorer areas not predicted to reach the target until 2044.
Smoking costs the UK economy around £17 billion - with the cost to the NHS alone estimated to be £2.4 billion.
Back then, Dr Khan proposed a similar measure, saying that the government should be 'increasing the age of sale from 18, by one year, every year until no one can buy a tobacco product in this country'.
Joshua Nair