United Kingdom proposed this Wednesday to prohibit younger generations buy cigarettesa measure that would provide the country with some of the regulations on smoking strictest in the world and would harm the sales of large tobacco companies.
If the law is approved, the minimum smoking age would increase by one year each year, which could mean the almost total elimination of tobacco consumption among young people from 2040according to an information document.
“Today, a 14-year-old child will never be legally sold a cigarette,” the prime minister said Rishi Sunak at the Conservative Party conference, where he announced the plan.
Smoking costs British health services £17 billion (US$20.6 billion) year.
According to the information document, there will be consultation on the restriction of flavors and descriptions of vaporizers and the regulation of their packaging and presentation will be studied.
The group Action on Smoking and Health welcomed the plans Sunakadding that the day when smoking becomes obsolete could be brought forward.
The industry criticized the proposals. The Tobacco Manufacturers Association said they were a “disproportionate attack” to the rights of adults and that would feed the black market.
“The ban on legal products always has dangerous side effects and opens the door for criminal gangs to sell illegal products,” he said.
Imperial Brands, which makes Winston cigarettes and Golden Virginia rolling tobacco, also warned that the ban threatened “unintended consequences.” The maker of Lucky Strike and Dunhill, British American Tobacco, said the proposals would be difficult to implement.
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A measure that must pass a “free vote” of Parliament
Anti-smoking policy would have to pass a free vote in the British Parliament, meaning lawmakers can vote what they want rather than following party policies.
If approved, Britain would become the first country in Europe to join New Zealandwhich announced a similar plan last year, to ban smoking for future generations.
Academics say raising the minimum smoking age has been successful in reducing smoking rates among young people around the world.
According to analysts, the change could hurt companies that derive a relatively large part of their profits from British tobacco sales, such as Japan Tobacco, maker of Camel and Benson & Hedges, and Imperial Brands.
A risk for all companies is that other countries follow suit, Bennett said. Denmark is already considering a similar measure, and several nations also have goals to reduce the smoking to minimum levels in the relatively near future.
Source: Ambito
