“Smoking kills.” “One puff can kill.” “It’s not cool to Juul.” “If you’re caught with a vape, that’s 15 days in the DAEP.” All common slogans surrounding the push against smoking and e-cigarettes.
Well, it seems the UK Parliament has finally decided to cement those slogans into law this week with a new bill not only prohibiting the use of cigarettes in public spaces, but also greatly limiting the branding choices made by tobacco companies as well as effectively prohibiting current children and teenagers from ever being able to touch a cigarette.
There are three key parts to this bill:
(1) forbidding smoking or vaping in outdoor areas including playgrounds, schools, and hospitals;
(2) prohibiting companies producing vapes, tobaccos, e-cigarettes, etc. from leveraging bright colors or appealing flavors in an effort to attract teens and children;
and (3) preventing individuals born after Jan. 1, 2009 from ever being able to legally purchase tobacco products.
The first two segments of this bill are rather straightforward and presumably even commonplace, however, the third segment proves to be a remarkable shift in governmental action globally towards smoking and tobacco usage and also the dream for many advocating for the ban of these products worldwide.
It is important to note that the UK, much like the U.S. and many other nations, currently does have a ban on the sale of tobacco products to minors.
This bill would build on that framework, starting off by permanently banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009, or anyone who is currently of or under the age of 15. After the bill fully goes into effect, with a current projected date of 2027, this minimum age would be raised year after year, by one year, until tobacco products would essentially be illegal for the entire UK population.
This bill, known as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, borrows the framework for this gradual illegalization of tobacco from a previous plan suggested by the now-ousted Conservative government, voted out of office in July’s election.
Apart from this unique provision, however, much of the discussion regarding this bill centers around the first segment, which prohibits smoking in certain public places. A large part of this conversation focuses on the UK Health Ministry’s highly intentional choice to not ban tobacco usage in pubs and “hospitality venues”, citing the pressures and stressors faced by this industry in recent times.
However, overall, the unique impact of this bill, if passed, cannot be ignored.
Not only would it effectively illegalize smoking and the consumption of highly dangerous, carcinogenic chemicals over the years, but it would also prevent companies from luring in unsuspecting minors and mitigate secondhand smoke in the interim. And in doing so, it would allow Britain to join the few nations across the world with the most stringent anti-smoking laws.
As the election season in the United States draws to a close and as 64 nations around the world contend with new governments, it is vital to draw attention to not just hot button issues, but issues like the damaging effects of widespread tobacco usage.
While we may not agree on the countless socio-political, environmental, and economic issues plaguing us, we can agree on the fact that tobacco usage must be curbed, that tobacco producing companies must be held accountable, that passerby shouldn’t be paying with their health for the choices of smokers around them, and most of all, that such a harmful and destructive product should be banned.
And more than agree, we can advocate for change and petition our governments to follow in the footsteps of the UK.
