제 20 호 Smoking Bans in the United Kingdom
Kicker: OPINION
Smoking Bans in the United Kingdom - Is it Really Possible to Quit Smoking?
By Yun-Seo Jung, Reporter
On October 4th, at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, northern England, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a national plan to create a non-smoking generation. The plan is to ban all cigarettes in 2040 by gradually raising the age at which people can buy cigarettes. As of 2023, the government designs to make it a "non-smoking generation" by legally prohibiting people from buying cigarettes under the age of 14.Prime Minister Sunak said, “People learn to smoke at a young age. Four out of five smokers start smoking before the age of 20,” adding, “The majority of these smokers try to quit later in life. “If we can break this vicious circle, we can eliminate the biggest cause of preventable death and disease.” he emphasized.He said, “I propose to raise the smoking age by one year every year from now on.” He said that the current age for purchasing cigarettes in the UK is 18, and it has been decided to raise this age every year.He said, "I suggest that we raise the smoking age by one year each year in the future." The current age to buy cigarettes in the UK is 18, and he proposes to raise it by one year each year.In fact, the UK already raised the legal selling age for cigarettes from 16 to 18 in 2007. According to the British government, the prevalence rate of smoking among 16 year olds and 17 year olds has decreased by 30% through these law changes. Currently, 6.4 million people in the UK smoke, about 13% of the population, and the government predicts that this policy will reduce the number of smokers by up to 1.7 million by 2075.
According to the Kahn Report on Britain’s smoking policy, “The biggest cause of preventable disease and death is smoking,” and “Smoking causes 64,000 deaths annually.” Furthermore, Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, said, “Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death,” and added, “A smoke-free generation will significantly reduce the burden of health insurance on people.”The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that, "The negative environmental impacts of smoking are significant." and that "Countries should implement tobacco control measures." In fact, the process of producing and consuming cigarettes emits about 80 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, which is said to be similar to driving about 17 million cars every year. Although some people actively support the British government's smoking ban policy in order to prevent diseases and protect the environment, there are also opinions that banning individual smoking in the country itself is an infringement of individual rights. In addition, there are voices of concern that legal sanctions on this could revitalize the tobacco black market.
New Zealand's smoking ban policy
Then, let's take a look at the current situation in New Zealand, the country that first implemented the smoking ban, to find out whether the country's smoking ban will work well. New Zealand passed the world's first tobacco sales ban on December 13, 2022. The bill states that those born after 2009 will not be able to purchase cigarettes even if they reach the age of majority, and those who violate the law and sell cigarettes to the targeted will be fined approximately 125 million won. New Zealand has also reduced the number of stores where cigarettes can be sold to 600, 10% of the 6,000, and decreased the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes. However, due to the fact that these- smoking restrictions are targeted at cigarettes and leaf tobacco, the sales rate of electronic cigarettes has soared. In addition, electronic cigarettes are sold in front of schools, making them more accessible to youth. The New Zealand government originally advocated for electronic cigarettes, saying they help people quit smoking, but as the rate of electronic cigarette smoking among teenagers increased, they announced new regulations restricting the sale of electronic cigarettes on June 6th. The new regulations include banning most disposable electronic cigarettes and prohibiting new electronic cigarette stores from opening within 300 meters of schools.
As mentioned above, a controversial part of the UK's smoking ban policy is electronic cigarettes. This is because the UK also does not include electronic cigarettes in its smoking regulations. Accordingly, the UK announced that it is considering imposing a tax of up to 80% on vaping devices, which are liquid electronic cigarettes. Actually, on July 7th, the British Times reported, “Tax vaping for a smoke-free generation.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering imposing a levy on vape devices as part of a landmark bill to stop smoking. Then, he said, "It is the most important public health intervention policy by the government throughout history and generations," adding that there will be difficult decisions. The Times said that the government is considering a tax plan to prevent children from buying electronic cigarettes, and that regulations on electronic cigarettes are expected to be implemented.
To sum up, the national smoking ban policy has the advantages of actually reducing the smoking rate, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and preventing the incidence of various diseases, but concerns about an increase in the sales rate of electronic cigarettes or a black market for cigarettes cannot be ignored. What do you think of this policy? If the country bans buying and selling cigarettes, would it really help people quit smoking? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
Sources :
https://www.mk.co.kr/news/world/10869065
