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https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-about-to-start-an-experiment-that-could-end-smoking-for-good-but-it-wont-be-easy-276114>
"Anyone born after January 1 2009 will never be able to legally buy tobacco in
the UK thanks to the tobacco and vapes bill, which is expected to become law in
March 2026. When it does, it will mean that the legal age for tobacco sales
will rise by one year every year from 2027 onwards.
I have spent much of my career working on smoking cessation and prevention,
including supporting the roll out of England’s indoor smoking ban and leading
local health improvement programmes. In 2006, a man once called me a “leftwing,
do-gooder, fascist bitch!” after I spoke in the media in support of that ban.
He wasn’t the only one to object.
The introduction of the new legislation will likely trigger similarly fierce
opposition from supporters of the tobacco lobby. But this time, their arguments
may be harder to land.
The government’s aim is to create a “smokefree generation”. The bill will not
ban smoking outright, nor affect current smokers. Instead, it will gradually
phase out legal sales to younger generations.
From a public health perspective, the logic is well established. Most smokers
begin when they are young, and preventing uptake has long been the most
effective way to reduce smoking rates. The policy is designed to stop new
people starting, including the 127,500 young adults (aged 18 to 25) who take
up smoking each year in the UK.
The world will be watching. Aside from the Maldives, the UK is now among the
few nations proposing laws aimed at creating a smokefree generation. A similar
approach was planned in New Zealand, but it was scrapped following a change of
government. There were also reports of sustained lobbying against the new
policy.
Those of us working in tobacco control recognise this pattern. Expect warnings
about losing £8 billion in tobacco tax receipts, despite the far higher
economic costs of smoking through its impact on the NHS, social care and
productivity. It is claimed that legal challenges have already begun seeking to
undermine the generational approach.
Attempts to invoke fears of a “nanny state” are inevitable. In practice, this
argument often centres on defending young people’s right to buy tobacco, a
position that has become harder to sustain as evidence of harm has accumulated.
The legislation will initially apply to those aged 18 and under, before
extending year by year. Current smokers would not be directly affected. This
helps explain the strong public backing for the policy. Opinion polls show
support from over two-thirds of the UK population, including many people who
smoke."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
