UK Parliament advances proposed smoking ban

The UK House of Commons voted Tuesday to advance the “Tobacco and Vapes Bill” that would make it illegal for anyone born in 2009 or later to buy tobacco and add restrictions to vaping. Legislators voted in favour of the bill in a 383 to 67 vote.

Rather than banning smoking outright, the restrictions apply to the sale of cigarettes in the UK. The legislation would have the effect of banning smoking tobacco for future generations by then raising the legal age to purchase tobacco every year. Currently, the legal age to buy cigarettes is 18, and the bill would impose that anyone born after January 1, 2009, would never reach the minimum age to purchase tobacco. To enforce the new rules, there is also a provision for £100 immediate fines for those who sell cigarettes and vapes to underage people.

In addition to phasing out cigarette sales, the bill will introduce regulations governing the flavours and descriptions of vaping products. The government has already introduced legislation to ban disposable vapes. These policies are aimed at tackling the rise of vaping in children and young people.

Changes to tobacco sales were at the centre of the UK Prime Minister’s ambitions for this parliamentary session. Rishi Sunak committed last November to gradually eliminate the legal sale of tobacco products across the UK at the State Opening of Parliament. The bill had support across the political spectrum with the Labour front-bench supporting the government’s proposals. The next steps will be for the bill to be scrutinised by a specialist committee within Parliament before it returns for its third and final vote in the House of Commons.

The Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, told the Commons before the vote that there was “no liberty in addiction” and that “nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose.” Atkins also advanced the “economic case for creating a smoke-free generation.” She quoted the statistics that each year smoking costs the UK economy a minimum of £17 billion, which is significantly higher than the £10 billion of tax revenue that it attracts.

The proposals are inspired by the now-revoked smoking ban in New Zealand. Existing smokers will not be affected by the legislative changes.