The U.K. Advances Bill that Would Create World ’s Only Generational Smoking Ban

The U.K. House of Commons voted Tuesday to advance the “Tobacco and Vapes Bill” that would make it illegal for anyone born in 2009 or beyond to buy tobacco and add restrictions to vaping. Legislators voted in favor of the bill in a 383- to-67 vote.   The bill would amount to an effective lifetime ban on smoking for those under the age of 15 and has now moved forward from its second reading to the committee stage. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “This isn’t about freedom to choose, it’s about freedom [from] addiction,” said Minister Andrea Leadsom during the debate Tuesday.  The bill was backed by Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has referred to tobacco as “the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death.” Around two-thirds of smokers start to smoke before the age of 18, and there are an estimated 90,000 regular smokers aged 11 to 15, according to Public Health England, which has a goal of creating a tobacco-free generation by 2025.  The bill garnered support from lawmakers from both the opposition Labour and ruling Conservative party, though some Tories broke rank with Sunak. Former Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson had both opposed the bill, with Johnson describing it as “nuts” and Truss calling it “profoundly unconservative.” “I think it actually risks making smoking cooler. It certainly risks...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized News News Desk Source Type: news