Realizing Cigarette Free Target 2030, UK Considers Implementing The Most Strict Prohibition Rules In The World

Cigarette illustration. (Unsplash/@madsouris)

JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering implementing a number of the world's strictest anti-smoking measures, which will effectively ban the next generation from buying cigarettes.

The measures considered are similar to those announced by New Zealand last year. It includes a gradual increase in the legal age of smoking to prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

Downing Street does not deny it is considering implementing the measure, which was first reported in The Guardian.

"Smoking is a deadly habit, killing tens of thousands of people every year and putting a huge burden on the NHS and the economy," said a British government representative, as reported by The National News on September 23.

"We want to encourage more people to stop and fulfill our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030, which is why we have taken steps to reduce smoking rates," the representative continued.

The UK plan comes as France plans to ban single-use vapes to prevent the younger generation from smoking, while US regulators take action to tackle the rise of single-use e-cigarettes with flavor.

Last year, a major review led by Dr. Maria Khan supported Britain to follow in New Zealand's footsteps.

In a report made by the government Dr. Khan said, without immediate action, Britain would lose its 2030 target for at least seven more years, and the poorest areas would not be able to achieve the target by 2044.

He said that the annual losses borne by the community due to smoking were around 1.7 billion to 2.4 billion pounds for the NHS alone.

Dr Khan recommended "increasing sales age from 18 years, one year, every year to no one can buy tobacco products in the country".

If implemented in 2026, then anyone aged 15 years and under will never be able to buy cigarettes.

The legal age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in England and Wales is 18 years, which was raised from 16 in 2007 by the previous Labor Party government.

Separately, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking & Health, said an increase in the age of legally permitted tobacco use had yielded results in other countries.

"Smoking is very addictive and only one in three smokers stopped before they died, on average they did 30 attempts before they succeeded," he explained.

"If the Government is serious about making Britain smoke-free by 2030, then the government needs to reduce the number of young smokers and help adult smokers to quit smoking," he explained.

"ASH is very supportive of increasing sales age, it has worked well in the US and is popular among the public," he said.

But the rights group of smokers, the Freedom Organization for Smoking Enjoying Rights, said the move was anti-conservative and would not stop people from smoking.

Director Simon Clark said the ban "will only push the sale of cigarettes secretly and into the hands of criminal groups".

"To treat adults like children by rejecting their right to buy cigarettes legally, will bring caregiver status to a higher level," he said.

"The smoking rate has decreased for decades. The idea that any government will prioritize cigarette eradication, at a time when the country faces much more important challenges at home and abroad is truly indecent," he said.

Separately, the latest research in Japan suggests people are barred from buying tobacco products until they are 22 years old, as those who start smoking before the age of 20 will find it more difficult to quit.