Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak believes there is “no safe level of smoking”. He “propose” to change the law regarding the age limit of children to whom cigarette can sold. He said he is aiming for a “cigarette free generation”.
1/ In the UK smoking causes 1 in 4 cancer deaths.
So I’m proposing changing the law so children turning 14 or younger this year can never legally be sold cigarettes in their lifetime.
A smoke-free generation.
None of us want our children to grow up to smoke.
Here's why 👇🧵 pic.twitter.com/pbym3E6cck
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 4, 2023
He was speaking at a Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Wednesday. The availability of the disposable vapes will also be restricted. Mr. Sunak said the government will also be looking in to the package and flavours of such products.
Mr. Sunak said the United Kingdom would be smoke-free by the year 2030. Since this “proposal” need to be presented in the Parliament to gain approval, Mr. Sunak said it would be a “free vote”, as he urged the politicians to take decisions under the light of a “matter of conscious”.
The current legal age for buying cigarettes in the United Kingdom is 18. The new arrangement will be one of the strict measures adopted as a way to carve out smoke-free generation. But UK is not the first country to take such measures, New Zealand has made law prohibiting the availability of cigarettes to anyone born after 2008.
The number of cigarette byers by the individuals of age ranging from 18 to 24 has become one among three which was one in four during the Covid 19 pandemic, says report commissioned for the UK government last year.
Imperial Brands Plc, United Kingdom”s biggest cigarette seller has faced a 4.3 percentage fell in London and the British American Tobacco Plc, has faced a fell of 1.9 percentage. British American Tobacco Plc gets most of its sale from outside the country.
Former Prime Minister, Liz Truss commented that the party should “stop “banning things”. Labour party remarked that they would “not play politics with public health” and would support the Prime Minister
