Smoking ban

Exactly. Effectively the age to buy cigarettes will just keep going up a year. You'll have to be 19 to buy cigarettes in 2027, 20 years old in 2028 and so on.

It's already underground, people buy them illegally now as they are cheaper but with a ban the illegal ones will be sold at the higher price, it's a win for the criminal gangs

My DD was born in Feb 2009 so is banned. Her friends born on Dec 2008 can buy cigarettes when 18. So they can blow smoke rings in her face when they are 18.
Also are they really going to ID my 45 year old daughter in 30 years time?
Also the wider point is that shouldn't an adult get to decide what they do? It's ok for some people but not others? Alcohol causes issues too so why not ban that?
I hate smoking by the way, never smoked but what new laws will they bring in like this.....

I think there's an argument that prohibition didn't work, cannabis is being legalised and yet at some point in the future potentially you'll have 60 year olds buying cigarettes for 59 year olds and that would be illegal, or 40 and 39. You could get one person in a relationship allowed to smoke and one not. Not sure if the proposal is the best way to make a ban work

I didn't catch who was speaking, but there was a great bit on LBC yesterday about how the law is intended to work. It's about a cultural shift, they know to some extent people will find a way to smoke, but the hope is over time attitudes will change.
Personally I think it's taken far too long, should have been done decades ago.

Almost everyone I know who ever smoked started long before they were the legal age to buy cigarettes, so making it illegal won't work for those who want to access cigarettes

By that logic we may as well do away with the under 18 restriction on buying them as well. People under 18 can get older people to buy them if they want to, it doesn't completely stop under 18s smoking, so why bother.

True. My grandmother was 89 when she died, I sort of think of her as a generic 'old person', strangely it was my other, non smoking, grandmother who died from cancer.

This.

To be fair sassh, not many smokers make it to 90. Heart disease and cancer has usually already got them.

It's not taking away a freedom though is it? Fat and some sugars are essential parts of a diet, nicotine isn't.

From a litter picking point of view it'll be nice to have less cigarette litter to pick up in a decade or so. I'm sick of the stuff.

I'm not sure I understand how this works. So when people who were born after 2009 turn 18 and are adults try to buy them in a shop they will be told no?

I haven’t ever smoked, but think people should have the right to chose, I hate the nanny state, what else will gov then decide to ban next? Smoking is not the worst issue facing the UK right now, why not focus on the bigger issues.

Almost everyone I know who ever smoked started long before they were the legal age to buy cigarettes, so making it illegal won't work for those who want to access cigarettes. They will continue through illegal means like they always have. I think smoking cigarettes in slowly going out of fashion with young people anyway so it could phase out over time without the need for a ban. Existing age restrictions and measures for smoking in public places are appropriate.

I think the more pressing issue should be to address the sale of vapes. They are often sold as a 'healthier' alternative to cigarettes, but there's increasing evidence that they may be as harmful. Vapes in wacky, child friendly flavours and colours are like the alcho-pops of the 90s and should be prioritised for tighter restrictions.

I would suggest putting the time, money and effort of this ban into health campaigns and cessation services.

As someone who used to phone trading standards to no avail when then 14 year-old son bought cigs I am glad this should be going through. He's a 40 a day man now but eldest gc was born in 2009 so should help his generation.

Or to France.

Or to Ireland.

New Zealand is a long way from neighbouring countries, we aren't.

And it's not just about older people buying them. My grandmother was a life long smoker (until she went in to a care home but that's a different story) she had carer some in 3 times a day.

One thing they would do was go to the shop for her (a while ago I don't think they would now) and her relatives who lived near by would get her shopping too.

We will end up with a situation where a 90 year old might be going out in a snow storm to buy their fags because a willing child or grandchild isn't old enough.

I heard this and couldn't believe it /grasp it. We all know it's good for people's health, irrespective ie not ti smoke. But it's removing people's choice and I have an issue with that. Plus won't it just make it all go underground and thus more expensive and nasty and illegal black market trading. How can that be good.

Not a smoker but against this. Smokers have already been marginalized sufficiently and numbers have been falling every year since I can remember. The government introduced the incremental pricing model to discourage it (inflation plus x % per year) in about 2010 I think. After banning smoking inside (fair enough) it was banning packs of 10, banning pictures on packets, and some countries have messages on each individual cigarette, while solemnly taking over 10 quid in duty per pack. The government wants to have it's cigarette and smoke it here basically and I don't approve of that level of intervention beyond what it's already done. It's a dying trend, just leave people to smoke if they want to.

If you are going to ban smoking than ban it. Half baked legislation makes no sense as those underage will ask someone else to get it for them. Also banning things only pushes it underground and will give the drug dealers a whole new stream of products. Nos, cigarettes, weed and vapes. Police are already stretched, who are they expecting to enforce this new law.

I agree, would welcome a ban on smoking publicly because no matter how many signs are up, people just won't move away from doors and it's awful having to walk through it when you have no choice.

Voted through to the next stage.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/16/house-of-commons-votes-in-favour-of-smoking-ban-despite-opposition-from-dozens-of-tories

Street drugs are illegal, look what good that does. Alcohol was banned in the US and that didn’t end well.

I wouldn't personally care if they did ban alcohol as I don't drink (or smoke) myself.

However, millions of people regularly enjoy alcohol moderately and only a small percentage of people who drink end up addicted to it. That isn't the same with smokers, where the vast, vast majority become addicted to it. Most drinkers don't have to stop work every hour for a 5 or 10-minute alcohol break.

Just look at the language that most people use. Those who drink alcohol will usually say "I fancy/wouldn't mind/could go a drink or two". Smokers never say "I rather fancy a fag" - it's always "I need one".

In theory I would support this. I'm an ex smoker and love the idea that my grandchild will never be able to start smoking.....

BUT

it's just a distraction from the Tories to gain votes! Why not ban alcohol? The numbers are not greatly different, 5% (alcohol) and 8% (tobacco). Alcohol is poisonous to our physical and mental health and also causes greater damage to wider society, but they won't ban that because that would definitely not be a vote winner. So for me it's virtue signalling to gain votes, and anyone with a brain cell will come to the conclusion that this does not distract from the absolute shit show that is the Tory government!