Britain Moves to Ban Smoking and Vaping for the Next Generation

The UK government's plans to restrict the sale of cigarettes and disposable vapes are drawing both support and skepticism. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is proposing to ban cigarette purchases by anyone born after 2008, a measure backed by a majority of voters. There is also broad support for a ban on disposable vapes.

The measures aim to curb smoking, which causes around 76,000 deaths a year in Britain. Most smokers start at a young age and subsequently become addicted. The government plans to raise the legal purchasing age by one year at a time from 2027, leaving current smokers unaffected.

Experts, however, point to practical problems. Preventing younger people from obtaining cigarettes through older buyers would be difficult to enforce, they say, and there is a risk of driving sales into illegal channels. Similar measures introduced abroad have had mixed results and in some cases fuelled the growth of black markets.

The proposed ban on disposable e-cigarettes has attracted even more criticism. Although they are associated with both environmental and health risks, experience in Australia suggests that strict restrictions may encourage the illicit market and even push up smoking rates.

(economist, bak)