The government of United Kingdom wants to have the first smoke free generation, and has already taken a definitive step in the development of this ambitious plan. After raising the possibility of prohibiting tobacco for new generations with the aim of eradicating its consumption from the roots, now the Executive led by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has managed to carry out a project by which anyone born after January 1, 2009 will be prohibited from purchasing this product. Young people who are currently 15 years old will never be able to legally purchase a pack of cigarettes in stores, a measure that will come into force in 2027when it is Generation Alpha turn 18. In addition, the legal age to purchase will be raised by one year every 12 months.
United Kingdom, against tobacco
This Tuesday afternoon the United Kingdom took a step towards fight against smoking approving the Tobacco bill promoted by Rishi Sunak's Government. With 383 votes in favor compared to 67 againstthe House of Commons has given the green light to the prohibition of purchasing – not consuming – this product for all people born on or after the day January 1, 2009. These young people, known as the Generation Alpha, They are now 15 years old, so they will never be able to purchase a pack of cigarettes, at least legally. This measure will come into force in 2027, when this population group comes of age. In addition, the legal age to buy will be raised by one year every 12 months.
This ambitious ban will not extend to products of vaping but it will impose new restrictions, limiting flavors available and regulating packaging to make it less attractive to minors. And it is that he number of children who vape has tripled since 2021. showing a change in trend. It should be noted that this measure has found support from the opposition, so it is expected that the bill becomes normative before the elections scheduled for the end of this year 2024. In this way, the United Kingdom becomes one of the most restrictive countries with tobacco and pioneer in these limitations. Denmark and New Zealand also had similar plans, but at the moment they have not been developed.
However, Sunak has not had it easy and has even found himself some opposition within their own ranks conservative. Some tories They considered the proposal as “illiberal“, so it was speculated that between 20 and 100 parliamentarians would vote against it. To prevent the plan and the party from being broken, the prime minister decided to give freedom of vote to his fellow members. Among the critics are Simon Clarke, who opted for deter young people of smoking from education and the tax system. “There is a risk of creating a black market and also creating an unmanageable problem for the authorities,” said Clark, who denounced that the “prohibition will infantilize future generations of adults”.
“When you are 18 years old you are legally an adult and you should be treated as such. At 18 you can drive a car, join the army, have a credit card, buy alcohol and vote, so you should also be able to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products. It's not about protecting children. The legal age for sale is already 18, so if you want to prevent children from smoking, the answer is to take strong measures against illicit sellers, not against adults who decide to smoke,” he explained. For their part, former conservative prime ministers also Boris Johnson and Liz Truss They consider that the law affects the individual freedoms of people.
Main cause of death
Tobacco consumption is leading cause of preventable death in the country, killing two-thirds of long-term users and causing some 80,000 deaths a year. Besides, Almost every minute a patient is admitted to the hospital with a tobacco-related disease, such as various heart conditions, strokes, or lung cancer. Was in the year 2019 when the British Executive committed to ending smoking by 2030, achieving a first objective of reducing the number of smokers in the United Kingdom to less than 5%. However, this campaign was not as successful as expected, as the data shows. In 2021 there were 14.1% smokers and in 2023 there were 13%.
To advance this objective, at the beginning of this year 2024 the Executive launched Swap to Stop –Vaping to Stopin Spanish-, a program that consists of giving free vaporizers for those who want to quit smoking. Health Minister Victoria Atkins said: “Too many people know someone whose life has been cut short tragically or irreversibly changed by tobacco.” “Despite significant progress, it remains the biggest cause of preventable death in the UK. This bill will save thousands of liveswill relieve pressure on our National Health System and improve the productivity of the United Kingdom,” he said.
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