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In Case You Missed: MPs Vote In Favour Of UK Smoking Ban

MPs vote in favour of UK smoking ban

MPs vote in favour of UK smoking ban – this bill was given a second reading as a result of a 383–67 votes.

Britain is preparing to impose tough measures to combat smoking, which has emerged as one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the country.

Parliament approved the government’s “historic” plans to create a “smoke-free” generation on Tuesday in a bid to reduce the number of people dying from smoking-related diseases, a significant burden on the country’s publicly funded National Health Service (NHS).

MPs voted 383-67 to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading, despite strong opposition from a faction of the ruling Conservative Party that opposes government intervention in people’s lives. To take effect, it must now be approved by the House of Lords. No party in the 790-member Lords has an overall majority, but the Conservatives outnumber Labour 278-173.

“Parliament has now begun the process of consigning smoking to the ash heap of history,” Deborah Arnott, executive director of the pressure group Action on Smoking and Health.

“The passage of the bill should be expedited to ensure it is on the statute book before the general election. The public, who overwhelmingly support the legislation, expect nothing less,” she said.

UK Ban On Smoking – What Does It Mean?

Rather than criminalizing the habit, the bill seeks to ensure that people turning 15 this year and younger will never be able to legally purchase tobacco.

Currently, it is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. The government intends to prohibit sales to individuals born after January 1, 2009. Beginning in 2027, the legal age limit would rise by one year per year until it became illegal for the entire population.

If all goes as planned, the government hopes to eradicate smoking among young people by 2040.

Shops in England and Wales that sell cigarettes and vapes to minors will face on-the-spot fines of 100 pounds ($125). Courts may already levy fines of 2,500 pounds ($3,118).

The Background Of The New Rules In UK

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United Kingdom.

According to the Office for National Statistics, approximately 13% of the adult population in the UK, or 6.4 million people, smoked in 2022.

This is significantly lower than in other European countries such as Italy, Germany, and France, where 18 to 23% of adults smoke, according to OECD data.

According to official figures, the habit kills 64,000 people in England each year, accounting for roughly one in every four cancer-related deaths.

Medical and healthcare experts, as well as charities, believe the toll is higher, with 80,000 people dying each year from smoking.

The UK government hopes that the new ban will prevent more than 470,000 cases of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other diseases by the end of the century.

The legislation also aims to reduce young people’s vaping by limiting flavor and packaging options to make it less appealing to children. The jury is still out on vaping, which the NHS considers “not risk-free.”