UK's Smoking Ban Bill Passed? Under-15s Will Never Be Able to Buy Cigarettes

The UK has announced plans to create a so-called 'smoke-free generation'by preventing anyone born after a certain date from ever legally purchasing cigarettes, and has taken its first steps in Parliament.

On the 16th, the UK House of Commons passed the 'Tobacco and E-cigarettes Bill'at the second reading stage with an overwhelming majority of 383 to 67, moving it on to the next stage of scrutiny in the Commons.

■ UK Tobacco Ban Bill Passed

The bill aims to gradually raise the legal smoking age in the UK from 18 to a point where, eventually, no one will be able to legally buy cigarettes.

If the bill passes, those born in 2009 (currently 15 years old) and later will not be able to buy cigarettes even after they reach adulthood. In other words, they will become a smoke-free generation.

This would make the UK the world’s strictest anti-smoking nation.

The bill also intends to restrict the sale and purchase of e-cigarettes.

This bill was proposed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2023 and has been progressing since then. However, some members of the governing Conservative Party have opposed it, arguing that 'restricting people’s freedom is not a conservative agenda'.

Smoker groups are also reportedly against the bill, stating that 'it will lead to the creation of a black market for tobacco'.

In response, the UK’s current Health Secretary stated that 'the shortening of lifespan due to smoking leads to irreversible consequences in life' and added that 'there is no freedom in addiction, and we have a duty to protect the next generation'.

The UK Conservative Party has stated that MPs will be allowed to vote freely, regardless of party policy. In the vote, 178 Conservative MPs voted in favor, 57 voted against, and 106 abstained. This suggests that a significant number of Conservative MPs who had been opposed to the bill also voted in favor.

On the other hand, the opposition Labour Party overwhelmingly supported the bill, leading to its successful passage through the first hurdle with a large margin.

This bill is based on the smoking ban legislation introduced in New Zealand, although the New Zealand law has since been repealed.

The UK tobacco ban bill will move to the next stages including a report stage, a third reading, and committee scrutiny before finally passing the House of Commons. It is anticipated that the bill will then be sent to the House of Lords for consideration around mid-June this year.

The number of smokers in the UK has fallen by about two-thirds since 1970. However, around 13% of the population, or 6.4 million people, still smoke, and the UK government reports that over 80,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses each year.

This article is written solely to provide information about the UK tobacco ban bill.

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