Opposition within the Conservative Party is also formidable.
Final vote in Senate expected in mid-June
A man is smoking a cigarette in downtown London, England, on the 16th (local time). AP Yonhap News
A bill to make future generations a ‘non-smoker generation’ by banning the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2009 passed the first round of the British Parliament on the 16th (local time).
The British House of Commons held the second reading of the ‘Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill’ on this day and passed it with 383 votes in favor to 67 against. The bill will then be passed on to the Senate after committee review, plenary report, and third reading in the House of Representatives. The final vote in the Senate is expected to take place around mid-June.
The gist of this bill, called the ‘Non-Smoking Generation Bill’, is to ban the sale of cigarettes to Britons born on or after January 1, 2009. Currently, in the UK, you have to be 19 to buy cigarettes, but if the bill goes into effect, teenagers under the age of 15 will not be able to buy cigarettes for the rest of their lives. Accordingly, the British government predicts that the smoking rate among people aged 14 to 30 will be close to zero by 2040.
Smoking itself is not subject to punishment, but stores selling cigarettes to people born after 2009 must pay a fine of 100 pounds (about 170,000 won) if caught.
In the case of electronic cigarettes, sales are not subject to a ban, but packaging and flavors must be changed to prevent teenagers from being interested in them.
“No parent would want their child to start smoking,” the UK government said on its website. “This bill will save countless lives and save the National Health Service (NHS) money by protecting future generations from the harm of smoking.” “I will do it,” he said. According to statistics, there are 6.4 million smokers in the UK, or about 13% of the total population, and 80,000 people die every year from smoking-related diseases. The smoking rate among youth aged 16 to 17 is over 12%.
The ‘Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill’ is a representative policy of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and is also actively supported by the opposition Labor Party. However, it is facing considerable opposition from within the Conservative Party. The Guardian reported that in the vote on this day, 57 Conservative Party members voted against and 106 Conservative Party members abstained, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Sunnack’s leadership.
Former Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss argue that the bill restricts individual freedom and goes against the values of conservatism. Some lawmakers warn that it could lead to bans on fast food and alcohol in the future. ‘Forest’, a group that advocates for smokers’ rights, argues that if the bill goes into effect, it will enable a black market and treat future generations like children.
On the other hand, Chris Witty, who served as a medical adviser under former Prime Minister Johnson, said in an ITV interview that day, “People who say it’s a choice are completely wrong about smoking,” and said the tobacco industry profits from nicotine’s highly addictive nature.
