New Delhi: Children aged 17 or younger in the UK will now face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill clears Parliament. Both the Commons and Lords have settled on a final draft of the “landmark” legislation. It aims to stop anyone born after 1 January 2009 from taking up smoking by making it illegal for shops to sell them tobacco. This has reportedly been done to create a ‘smoke-free generation’.
After the legislation gets royal assent, ministers will have new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products.
What the latest step entail
The new directive is part of measures aimed at tackling the health effects of smoking, as it has come out as one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Britain.
As part of the new rules, vaping, which has become popular in the UK in recent years, will be banned in cars carrying children, in playgrounds and outside schools and at hospitals. This effectively means an expansion in the country’s smoke-free laws.
Meanwhile, vaping would still be allowed outside hospitals in a bid to support those trying to quit. Outdoor hospitality venues like pub gardens and wider open spaces such as beaches and private outdoor spaces are not included in the plans.
As to what does not come in the purview of restrictions, people will also be able to continue smoking and vaping in their homes.
Gets house approval
UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, called the latest directive a ‘historic moment’ for the nation’s health, saying, “Prevention is better than cure – this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain.”
Health minister Baroness Merron also joined in, telling the Lords on Monday that, “It is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation and I can assure all noble Lords it will save lives.” Lord Naseby, a Conservative former MP, said the Tobacco and Vapes Bill “does upset a great many people in that industry”, including retailers. “What we really need is a proper understanding of how we educate people not to take up smoking,” he added.