In the UK, a bill to make it impossible for anyone under the age of 15 to legally buy cigarettes, creating what is known as a'smoke-free generation', has been put forward in parliament.

On the 16th, the UK House of Commons passed the 'Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill'in a second reading with an overwhelming majority of 383 to 67 votes, sending it to the next stage of House scrutiny.

■ UK Tobacco Ban Bill Passed

The bill would gradually raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in the UK from the current 18 years and older, eventuallymaking it impossible for anyone to legally buy cigarettes.

If the bill is passed, people born in 2009 (currently 15 years old) will be unable to buy cigarettes even after they become adults. In other words, they will become a smoke-free generation.

This would make the UK thestrongest anti-smoking countryin the world.

The bill aims to restrict the sale and purchase of electronic cigarettes as well.

The bill was proposed and pushed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2023. However, some members of the ruling Conservative Party have argued that 'restricting people's freedom is not a conservative agenda.'

It is also reported that anti-smoking groups are opposed to the bill, saying that 'it will create a black market for cigarettes.'

In response, the current UK Health Secretary said, 'Smoking-related life shortening has irreversible consequences in life,' adding, 'There is no freedom in addiction, and we have a duty to protect the next generation.'

The UK Conservative Party said it would allow MPs to vote freely without being bound by party policy. As a result, 178 Conservative MPs voted in favor, 57 voted against, and 106 abstained. This suggests that there is a large number of Conservative MPs who support the bill, despite their opposition to it.

On the other hand, the opposition Labour Party overwhelmingly supported the bill, and it is confirmed that the bill has passed the first hurdle by a large margin.

The bill isbased on the smoking ban bill introduced in New Zealand, but the smoking ban bill was actually repealed in New Zealand.

The UK's tobacco ban bill will be sent to the House of Lords after it passes through the full committee report, third reading, and committee review. The vote in the House of Lords is expected to take place around mid-June of this year.

The number of smokers in the UK has decreased by about two-thirds since 1970. However, the UK government reported that around 6.4 million people, or about 13% of the total population, are still smoking, and more than 80,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases.

This article was written solely to convey information regarding the passage of the UK tobacco ban bill.

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