LONDON (AP) — The British government’s plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.
The bill, a key policy announced by Sunak last year, would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009.
If passed, the bill will give Britain some of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world.
Under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, children turning 15 this year or younger will never be legally sold tobacco.
It is currently illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes or tobacco products and vapes to people under 18 years old throughout the U.K.
Lawmakers voted 383 to 67 to give the bill a second reading late Tuesday after an afternoon of debate.
Prominent voices within the Conservative Party, including two of Sunak’s predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, said the plans went against conservative values by limiting people’s personal freedoms.
The bill was a “virtue-signaling piece of legislation about protecting adults from themselves in the future,” Truss told Parliament during Tuesday’s debate.
LONDON (AP) — Despite strong opposition from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, the British government’s plan for a historic smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday.
The bill would make it unlawful to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009; it is a significant policy that Sunak announced last year. Britain will have some of the strictest anti-smoking laws in the world if the bill is approved. It will produce the “first smoke-free generation” in modern Britain, according to authorities. ****.
Children who turn 15 this year or younger will never be able to lawfully purchase tobacco products thanks to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. When it’s put into effect, which is expected to happen in 2027, the legal age of sale in England for cigarettes will increase by one year each year until it eventually becomes illegal for everyone.
In an effort to stop young people from becoming addicted to nicotine, the bill also includes measures to prohibit the sale of inexpensive disposable vapes and limit their flavor options.
In the United States, it is currently against the law for anyone to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, or vapes to anyone under the age of 18. G.
Following an afternoon of debate, lawmakers voted late on Tuesday to give the bill a second reading by a vote of 383 to 67. Sunak encountered resistance from more libertarian-minded members of his party who denounced the plans as “unconservative,” despite the bill receiving widespread praise from health experts and the backing of the opposition Labour Party. “.”.
Since they were allowed to vote freely, conservative lawmakers were able to follow their own moral convictions rather than the party line.
The smokers’ rights advocacy group FOREST was among those who opposed the proposal, claiming it would “treat future generations of adults like kids” and run the risk of establishing a black market. Leaders in the Conservative Party, such as Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, who were Sunak’s predecessors, expressed disapproval of the plans for their perceived restriction of individual liberties and their conflict with conservative principles.
“This is a virtue-signaling piece of legislation about protecting adults from themselves in the future,” Truss informed Parliament during the bill’s Tuesday debate.
The bill was also opposed by other prominent Tory figures, such as Cabinet minister and business secretary Kemi Badenoch.
Although the country’s new coalition government repealed the bill earlier this year, it is thought that the plans were influenced by similar policies put forth by New Zealand under former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
As per the government’s announcement, smoking will not be made illegal, and the gradual modifications will not bar anyone who is currently able to purchase cigarettes from doing so in the future.
How many individuals smoke in the United States? KK. has decreased by two thirds since the 1970s, but an estimated 6 point 4 million people, or roughly 13% of the population, continue to smoke in the nation, per official statistics.
Authorities estimate that smoking results in 80,000 fatalities annually in the U.S. K, and continues to be the primary preventable cause of illness, death, and disability.
