New smoking ban for anyone born after 2009

[Volbeat]

Hey all, just wondering what people's thoughts are on the smoking ban that will come into force which mean anyone born after 2009 will never legally be able to buy cigarettes.

My opinion is that it will be good for public health in general and I say this as a smoker. But what about all the tax etc generated from cigarette and vape sales?

Apologies if this is already being discussed, I've not seen it anywhere on here yet.

I agree with you. The epidemic of drug use that has seeped into British culture irrespective of age, race, religious beliefs and financial status is frightening. That people think it is normal to do Coke, smoke weed or do Ket, ecstasy, heroin is mind blowing. The government should run anti drug ad campaigns more frequently and really highlight the devastating impact it can have on people’s lives.

Seems to me a bit ageist and a slippery slope.

Also seems quite weird in the context that a lot of places seem to be interested in legalising cannabis recently, which is worse than tobacco.

I don't get the health justification argument. Should we ban the over 60s from buying fast food and alcohol because it will make them more healthy and hospital fees less ?

I think it's great. I started smoking when I was 14 and although I've given up long since, still struggle with the cravings when I'm stressed. The harder you make it, fewer people will take it up and it is still the number one cause of lung and heart disease. The odd drink doesn't harm anyone and most people do tend to drink in moderation. There's also the positive benefits of socialization around it. Whereas smoking has absolutely no health benefits whatsoever and harms not only the smoker but those around them.

This will be a genuinely positive and long lasting legacy from Sunak.

You forgot to explain how that is "the same thing".

Mainly because it isn't - although you may have been busy.

Fix age limits you grow past are indeed noting new.

An age restriction that travels with a person till their death is.

And that is my objection. Fuck all to do with smoking. I would object if it was a ban on buying pasties.

@SerendipityJane so you want everyone from all generations and future generations to have the option to smoke? Despite the fact that it is extremely bad for your health? Well that's never going to get rid of the issue is it.

I personally think it should be banned full stop for all ages from now. But I'm assuming this is too drastic to bring into force and people will kick off 🙄

@TotteringonGently well said!

A lot of people don't mind the banning of stuff so long as it is something they don't like or don't want to engage in.

The problem is of course when the government actually starts banning stuff you do like in the name of the public good. And lets face it there are a lot of activities out there that are potentially harmful to us that we engage in.

Fast food, alcohol, smoking, skiing, playing football, motorbikes, rock climbing, hiking, owning dogs all have potential dangers and cost the state money.

So once they ban smoking what will they ban next in the name of the public good is the question.

Exactly. A gradual ban is far easier to enforce. It just makes sense.

@GasPanic that is true but I think smoking has got to be the worst one for your health, especially as it has a direct effect on others. This is LONG overdue, I can't believe people actually still smoke it's 2024 🤢

I think we should do something about fast food because obesity causes a lot of health problems in the UK

Smoking has been proved to be bad for you and others around you, and they knew that years ago, but the tobacco lobby and the tax take stopped anyone doing anything about a ban. Evidence is coming forward now that vaping is not good for you either, although better than smoking. In my opinion both should be banned, but how exactly are you going to enforce it? Drugs are "banned" but people still do them.

I wonder if, in time, it will put younger smokers off coming to the UK for holidays or to work?

Oh I don't know. Fast food is pretty bad for you.

When you say worst, do you mean worst in terms of individual impact or society impact ?

For example, obesity impacts society probably much more than smoking in terms of cost and quality of life. So banning a lot of food types should be in the public interest, if anything more so than smoking.

I do support higher taxes on fast food and takeaways to pay for the health implications.

Realistically, ultra processed food is going to have more long term impacts on those born after 2009 and iit is a health problem that is indicative of the wealth divisions within this country.

I.e Children brought up in the austerity years.

Thing is no one I know that smokes actually buys UK cigarettes much !

They all buy abroad because it is massively expensive over here.

If the government was going to start taxing stuff like pizza in the same way they tax cigarettes then it would be a massive ramp up in the cost of pizza. So they need to start ramping it up from zero to something massive now rather than waiting for ages then putting a massive tax on all at once.

This. All the way. There is absolutely NO benefit whatsoever, for ANYONE, with smoking or vaping. It would save so much money for the NHS if it was banned.

Ultra processed food hasn't been something that has suddenly appeared though. It's been around for decades. Crisps and cakes were around in the 1980s. And I'm pretty sure they were much worse for you then than they are now (when you ate crisps there would always be a layer of grease left in the bag, but not so these days).

The name has just suddenly become more popular.

I think it is the way forward, not because smoking bothers me but the smoking of cannabis does so if we ban tobacco nobody can smoke cannabis. Win win.

I support the ban. My children were both born after 2009 and will never be legally allowed to smoke. I could never see that as a bad thing.

No but in the past, the wealth disparity didn’t have such a bearing on good food choices and health outcomes. Those on lower incomes didn’t buy UP every day and would definitely have had more vegetables. I’m using 2009 as a reference point as this is the year smoking ban is using. How many children born after 2009 will have enough money for cigarettes as opposed to buying cheap UP food which you always see being bought by kids.

It’s a ridiculous idea and won’t stand the test of time.

If smoking is a massive addictive risk to public health, then ban it for everyone. Maybe give people a few years by massively increasing tax annually before a final ban in 3-5 years time.

However we are starting to propose different laws by age after people reach adulthood which, to me, is morally wrong. If you have all the responsibilities of an adult and pay tax as an adult, then you should have all the rights.

If this really happened, then, in half a century you would get people 50 year olds hanging around outside shops looking for a pensioners to buy them a sneaky pack of fags. It is ludicrous.

It isn’t a smoking ban for everyone though just those born after 2009 so realistically you won’t see this.

It's a sort of weapon of mass distraction though.

Get people talking about this policy, which doesn't cost any money (at least for the current government) and not ask about the hard questions that do cost money.

Well done you!

I was a 30 a day smoker and gave up in 2004. It was so hard. I fully support this.

However cigarettes aren't the problem- vapes are. Does this include vapes?