Tag: Generational Tobacco Ban

Lawmakers Urged to Reject UK’s Generational Ban

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Campaigners are urging British lawmakers to reject plans to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to future generations of adults.
Ahead of the second reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on Nov. 26, the smokers’ rights group Forest says the proposal is “unnecessarily divisive” and is not supported by the majority of the public.
According to a recent poll commissioned by Forest and conducted by Yonder Consulting, 60 percent of respondents said that if people are allowed to drive a car, join the army, purchase alcohol, and vote at 18, they should also be allowed to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Fewer than a third (31 percent) said they should not be allowed to purchase tobacco when legally an adult, while 9 percent said, “don’t know.”

MPs need to think very carefully about the unintended consequences of raising the legal age of sale of tobacco.
Simon Clark, director, Forest
“A generational ban on the sale of tobacco is unnecessarily divisive because it will create a two-tier society in which some adults have different rights to others,” said Forest Director Simon Clark.
“Eventually it will create the absurd situation whereby a 40-year-old can purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products, but someone born a few days later could be denied the same right.
“MPs need to think very carefully about the unintended consequences of raising the legal age of sale of tobacco.
“Denying future generations of adults the right to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products legally won’t stop people smoking.
“Creeping prohibition will simply drive the sale of tobacco underground and into the hands of criminal gangs and illicit traders.”

November 25, 2024
U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Bill Proposed Today

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The U.K. government will introduce its Tobacco and Vapes Bill in Parliament today. The legislation involves some of the world’s strictest anti-smoking rules, including a measure banning younger people from smoking. However, the government abandoned plans for a ban on smoking outside pubs and cafes after concerns were raised about the impact on the hospitality industry.
The proposed legislation gives the government power to ban smoking outside specific outdoor spaces such as children’s playgrounds, schools and hospitals. But the plans will be subject to consultation.
The previous government had announced similar measures to create the first smoke-free generation. However, those plans failed to become law before the general election in the summer when the party lost power.
The new legislation ensures that anyone aged 15 this year, or younger, will be banned from buying cigarettes, and aims to make vapes less appealing to children.
“This government is taking bold action to create the first smokefree generation, clamp down on kids getting hooked on nicotine through vapes, and protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of second-hand smoke,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting in a statement.
Britain banned smoking in almost all enclosed public spaces, including bars and workplaces, in 2007.
A budget announcement last week included extra taxes on vaping, which is subject to 20 percent on VAT, but did not attract extra levies as tobacco does. A new flat rate duty of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid was announced.
With tobacco duties, the increases are usually immediate from midnight on the same day as the budget. However, the vaping duty is not due to come into force until 2026.

Creating a two-tier society in which some adults are permitted to buy tobacco and others aren’t discriminates against younger adults.
Simon Clark, director, Forest
While welcoming the decision to drop a proposed ban on smoking outside pubs and other other hospitality venues, smokers’ lobby group Forest said it was concerned by other measures in the bill.
“Banning smoking outside hospitals is heartless and cruel,” said Forest Director Simon Clark. “Smoking in the open air poses no risk to non-smokers, including children, but it can be a comfort to patients, visitors and staff who smoke and want a quiet stress-free moment.”
Meanwhile, increasing the age of sale by one year every year, as proposed on the generational tobacco ban part of the bill, would infantilize future generations of adults, according to Forest.
“If you can buy alcohol, drive a car, join the army, and vote at 18, you should also be allowed to purchase tobacco,” said Clark.
“Creating a two-tier society in which some adults are permitted to buy tobacco and others aren’t discriminates against younger adults.
“It will cause huge confusion in shops and could lead to even more retail crime.
“It will also drive younger adults to the black market and into the arms of criminal gangs.”
November 5, 2024
Critics Blast UK’s Focus on Generational Tobacco Ban

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The new U.K. government’s intention to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes will not achieve its objectives, according to the smoker’s group Forest.
Responding to an announcement in today’s King’s Speech, the annual ceremony in which the British monarch sets out the policies of and proposed legislation that the government plans to introduce, Forest Director Simon Clark said the measure would fail to stop people smoking. Instead, he warned, it would drive more people to the black market and make smoking cool again.
SImon Clark
Originally proposed by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the generational tobacco ban would make it illegal for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, to ever legally buy cigarettes, effectively raising the legal age of purchase by one year, every year.
The measure passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April but was put on hold after Sunak, a conservative, called a national election, which was won by the Labour party.
While vowing to ditch many Tory policies, Labour reiterated its commitment to the generational tobacco ban, prompting criticism from smoker rights activists.
“Labour, like the previous Conservative government, is addicted to the nanny state,” said Clark.
“It’s ironic that Labour wants to reduce the voting age to 16 whilst denying adults the freedom to legally purchase cigarettes.
“If you are old enough to drive a car, join the army and buy alcohol, you are old enough to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products.”
July 17, 2024
UK: Labour Vows to Implement Generational Ban

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Britain’s opposition Labour Party, which is favored to win the July 4 national elections, has reiterated its commitment to the generational tobacco ban proposed by Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reports Reuters.
The plan would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, after they turn 18. It would also provide powers to address vaping among young people.
The generational tobacco ban passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April but was put on hold after Sunak called a national election.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, whose party is far ahead in opinion polls ahead of the vote, published its planned policies on June 13, vowing to provide political and economic stability, and to improve health outcomes.
“We must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives. That starts with smoking,” the manifesto document said.
“Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes … Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.”
June 14, 2024
U.K. Pauses Tobacco Ban Talks Until After Election

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Britain’s proposed generational tobacco ban will not become law before the July 4 election announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week, reports Reuters.
The U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to phase out the sale of cigarettes. It would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, after they turn 18. It would also provide powers to address vaping among young people.
The bill had passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April despite dozens of lawmakers in Sunak’s Conservative party voting against it.
However, the government failed to put forward the tobacco and vapes bill as part of the legislation to be passed in the “wash-up” period before parliament dissolves.
Unless ministers resuscitate the bill at the last minute with an emergency statement today, it will be up to the next government to re-introduce the smoking ban in a fresh bill. The Labour party is committed to the policy and could include it in its manifesto. “Our position hasn’t changed so if it doesn’t come through, then we will look at putting it in the manifesto and introducing a bill,” a Labour representative told The Guardian.
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) welcomed the news that the bill would not be rushed through the legislative process. Earlier, the group had complained that the Department of Health and Social Care had failed to carry out any risk assessments into the health impacts of fewer people using vapes to quit smoking as a result of potential changes to flavor offerings, point of sale displays or packaging and product presentation.
“It is wrong to rush any legislation through parliament without proper scrutiny but with a bill like this, where lives are quite literally at stake, it is even more important that the correct checks and balances are in place when considering what new powers to introduce,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.
“We believe that properly drafted new measures to ban child-friendly designs and flavor names and ensure that products, backed up by a powerful and effective enforcement regime will continue to see smoking rates fall while ensuring that youth uptake rapidly comes down.”
Anti-smoking activists took the news in stride. “While the tobacco and vapes bill appears to be a victim of a snap election, all is not lost,” said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health. “This bill has the strong support of the chief medical officers of all four nations in the U.K. as well as the overwhelming majority of the public.”
May 24, 2024
Britain’s Generation Nicotine Ban Passes First Vote

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Lawmakers approved British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban anyone aged 15 and under from ever buying cigarettes despite opposition from some prominent members of his Conservative party, reports Reuters.
The bill passed a vote in Britain’s parliament with 383 in favor and 67 against.
Fifty-seven Conservatives, including Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, voted against the plan. Earlier, two former prime ministers, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, had come out against the legislation, with Truss describing the draft legislation as “unconservative” and Johnson calling it “nuts.”
The ban enjoys strong support among healthcare professionals, who say that smoking causes 80,000 premature deaths every year, along with many more smoking-related illnesses.
In a recent YouGov poll, a third of voters supported the phased approach and 30 percent supported a ban for everyone at the same time. Only a quarter said there should be no ban.
Badenoch said that while she agreed with Sunak’s intentions, she opposed the bill as she was concerned about its impact on people’s rights and difficulty in enforcing the policy.
Earlier this year, New Zealand scrapped a similar law after a new coalition government took power in late 2023. The government said it favored a harm-reduction approach to discourage smoking, but critics accused it of succumbing to tobacco lobbying.
Britain’s generational tobacco ban will now progress to the next stage in parliament, where it can be subject to amendment.
April 16, 2024
Scotland Welcomes U.K. Generational Nicotine Ban

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Scotland Public Health Minister Jenni Minto has welcomed proposed legislation to ban tobacco sales to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, and allow for tougher measures on vaping.
The proposed legislation, which is U.K.-wide, would gradually increase the age of sale, making it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009. The bill also includes powers to regulate displays, contents, flavors and retail packaging of vapes and nicotine products, allowing restrictions to target flavors marketed at children and to move vapes out of sight of children and away from products like sweets, according to the Scottish government.
The legislation will also remove existing provisions making it illegal for those under the age of 18 to purchase tobacco products.
The government previously published proposals to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes, which, if agreed upon by the Parliament, would come into effect April 1, 2025.
“Scotland has been a world-leader on a range of tobacco control measures, and while there has been a steady reduction in the proportion of people smoking, we know it still damages lives and kills more than 8,000 people a year in Scotland,” said Minto. “Smoking is a huge burden on our NHS [National Health Service] and social care services and contributes significantly to health inequalities, which is why our goal is for a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034.
“Research suggests that almost one in five young people have tried vaping, and we’re particularly concerned about how flavors are used as an enticement to children and young people.
“We will now consider how to use these powers, if passed by Westminster, with the consent of the Scottish Parliament, to benefit public health. We will continue our four-nations approach to avoid any unnecessary regulatory divergence and to offer more certainty for business and consistency for consumers. Powers on vapes will be taken forward following further consultation and engagement.
“In addition, we were the first government to commit to taking action on single-use vapes and have now fulfilled our 2023 Program for Government commitment to consult on measures to tackle the environmental impact of single-use vapes.”
In accordance with the Sewel Convention, the bill will require the legislative consent of the Scottish Parliament.
March 20, 2024
Rumors of U.K. Dropping Generational Tobacco Ban

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The U.K. government may be backtracking on its plans to implement a generational tobacco ban, reports Tobacco Insider. According to the website, Britain may settle instead for raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21.
Under the proposed legislation, children who turn 14 or younger in 2023 would never be able to legally purchase a cigarette. A public consultation on the plans closed Dec. 6.
Tobacco companies have reportedly been engaging heavily with lawmakers. Earlier this month, Philip Morris International held roundtable events with members of parliament as part of its efforts to ensure that heated-tobacco products are exempt from any future smoking ban.
BAT was reportedly also scheduled to hold a private event on the plans to phase out smoking.
Many libertarian Members of Parliament are said to dislike the idea of government limiting people’s choices.
In November, New Zealand and Malaysia scrapped plans for similar generational tobacco bans.
December 7, 2023
New Zealand Ditches Generational Tobacco Ban

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New Zealand’s new coalition government plans to scrap the country’s controversial generational tobacco ban, which would have prohibited tobacco products for people born after 2009, reports CodeBlue.
The coalition agreement signed on Nov. 24 by the National Party, the ACT and New Zealand First in the wake of country’s general elections calls for a repeal of amendments to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 and regulations, which took effect Jan. 1, 2023,
In addition to prohibiting anyone from selling or supplying smoked tobacco products to people born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, the amendments would have restricteded the sale of smoked tobacco products to a limited number of approved retail outlets and extend the act’s regulatory powers over the composition of smoked tobacco products, such as nicotine levels.
While ditching the generational tobacco ban, the new government vowed to get tough on vaping by banning disposable e-cigarettes and increase penalties for illegal sales to those aged under 18.
Health advocates criticized the reversal of the amendments. “Way to start being health minister—by caving into the tobacco industry,” New Zealand’s former Health Minister Ayesha Verrall wrote on X about her successor, Shane Reti. “Repealing smokefree laws will mean thousands of deaths and billions of health.”
Smoker rights’ group Forest welcomed the repeal, and urged British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to follow suit by abandoning similar measures in the United Kingdom.
“The policy treats future generations of adults like kids and it won’t work. It will simply drive smokers into the hands of illegal traders and criminal gangs,” said Forest Director Simon Clark.
“The consequences of the policy, which would eventually allow a 40-year-old to legally buy cigarettes while denying that right to a 39-year-old, are absurd.
“Having stolen the idea from the previous New Zealand government, the prime minister should follow the example of the next New Zealand government and scrap this crazy idea.”
On the same day of the announcement in New Zealand, Malaysia’s approved revisions to the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 that decoupled that country’s planned generational end game ban from the tobacco and vape control bill.

November 24, 2023