- Technically, the new law will raise the legal age requirement in the UK for buying cigarettes, cigars or tobacco, which is currently 18, by one year in every subsequent year, starting on January 1, 2027
- This will effectively mean that people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be eligible to buy them
- Retailers will face financial penalties for selling the products to those not entitled to them
- The government will also be empowered to impose a new registration system for smoking and vaping products entering the country, seeking to improve oversight
- The bill will expand the UK’s indoor smoking ban to a series of outdoor public spaces, for instance in children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals
- Most indoor spaces that are designated smoke-free will become vape-free as well
- Smoking in designated areas outside pubs and bars and other hospitality settings will remain permissible
- Smoking and vaping will remain legal in people’s homes
- Vaping will become illegal in cars if someone under the age of 18 is inside, to match existing rules on smoking
- Advertising for smoking and vaping products will be banned
- People aged 18 or older will remain eligible to purchase vaping products, but some items targeted at younger consumers like disposable vapes have already been outlawed as part of the program
I think people should be allowed to harm themselves with drugs of they want. Maybe I’m a radical.
We all know that banning drugs means that people will stop using them. Or so.
This is one of the few bans that actually makes sense. Carcinogens are genuinely bad for a person’s future.
How kind of the government to decide that people born after 2008 have fewer freedoms than those born before it!
Not including vaping is kinda… Odd.
This law was originally implemented within New Zealand some years ago and I believe it is based on the same principles. I am all for it because it doesn’t affect those that already smoke, just the ones that would potentially get into it in the future. And it has a rolling eligibility year so every year it will move, stopping all future generations from potentially being able to try it legally. Eventually it would get to the point where the generations that currently smoke die off completely and then it would be most likely looked at from an antiquated perspective. Unfortunately, in our case, as soon as the latest conservative parliament got into power, they completely rolled it back. We never got to see the long term potential positive implications of it in practice.
Lemmites normally: smoking is bad and should be banned.
UK government: ok then.
Lemmites now: YO WHAT THE FUCK.
Prohibition is never good, removing individual freedom is never good. I can see the point for some of these restrictions, to provide a safe basis for other people around (because we can’t ask people to simply be nice), but more than that… meh.
I will not be up in arms to defend smoking rights, but that’s probably not the way to do it.
Smoking is bad, but prohibition of drugs just drives them underground and denies freedom. Bad call UK
Smoking sucks and I’m glad I’ve never done it, but I’m worried that this will push even more people to the far right because they will feel patronized as fuck.
Also not sure if a flourishing black market is much better. Seems like an enormous source of income for organized crime which might not be the best thing.
Imo it would be much better to only ban it at places where there are a lot of people and do proper education in schools so that children actually understand why it’s a terrible idea.
Chalk up another imminent failure for the war on drugs
Oi cunt, 'ave you got a loicense for them cigarettes?
Oh yes, we have seen how effective prohibition laws are working. Good luck with that one. And to all of you four-eyed, I have never smoked and never will.
Actually prohibition drastically increases price, perceived risk, and social acceptability all of which decrease usage. If you mean that prohibition doesn’t make everyone stop using that would be a duh. Society would greatly benefit from decreased usage alone due to decreased medical productivity and deaths…
The most famous “failed” prohibition on this side of the water in the US initially decreased alcohol usage to 30% of its former usage immediately prior to prohibition. Eventually it rose to ~60% but didn’t recover to anything like prior levels until prohibition was ended.
There is another notable factor though. This allows all current addicts to continue consuming their legal fix which can be sold at the corner store but incentivizes all these multitudes of legal avenues to shut out new customers or be shut themselves. These new customers those born from 2008-2017 will initially be a small market for any black market sales probably poorly served unlike the market created by prohibition. If less of these folks initially get hooked early there is statistical reason to believe far fewer of them ever will. By the time those born in 2018-2027 reach maturity between 2036-2045 many of the older folks will be dead and the generation above them will have a much lower prevalence of smoking.
It’s OK, nobody born after that will be able to afford them.
There’s a reason vapes got popular, and part of that is a pack of 20 ciggies costing £15+.
So now everyone smells of either fruit salads or weed.
If people over 18 can buy it then that’s fine. I do think under 18 is too young for cigs. Way to ruin your lungs. Though I am wary of how totalitarian the UK is becoming especially for young people - no phones, no social media. Prohibition and banning people turns us into North Korea, China, and Russia. It’s a fine line to cross. However, we definitely do need tighter regulations for certain things. But I think the gov is diving in head first instead of finding a more nuanced approach with things. This feels more like it’s about control and policing society rather than making a healthy and happier society.
