#204: Smokefree Kingdom
The UK is looking to have everyone born after 2009 be restricted from purchasing tobacco
Let’s look into how feasible this will be, with an examination into New Zealand’s strict smoking policies
No. 10 has spoken
Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the UK, announced his initiative to dramatically reduce smoking. His proposed ban has not been officially passed yet, but what would it include?
The legal age allowed to purchase tobacco would steadily be raised from its current 18 every year
This would eventually make every UK citizen born after 2009 unable to buy cigarettes or other items including tobacco
Is this possible?
The proposal was met with a mixed response. On the one hand, it is a noble cause to reduce smoking. However, it does raise some questions. What about UK citizens who spend time abroad and develop a smoking habit? Is it even necessary to place such a ban for something that could be considered “none of the government’s business”?
Precedent
There is another country that is implementing similar measures - New Zealand’s policies announced December last year.
New Zealand also passed a law prohibiting anyone born in or after 2009 from purchasing tobacco
They also implemented measures to limit the sale of tobacco to certain stores, and not convenience stores or supermarkets
The catch here is that those born after 2009 are 14 years or younger now anyway, so we can’t tell how effective these policies will be just yet. We’ll have to see how much healthier the UK becomes in the coming years.
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