How the UK smoking ban will work and who will be affected

RISHI Sunak has announced proposals that would see a smoking ban introduced in just a few years.

With various steps What is included in the smoking ban, how will it work and who will be affected by the upcoming changes? Law?

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What is the new smoking ban in the UK?

The UK has a plan to be smoke-free by 2030.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has set out 12 steps to help the government achieve this Goal.

These steps include reducing the attractiveness and availability of cigarettes for children, raising the age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21 and regularly updating the Smoke Free 2030 strategy.

Other steps in the plan include making e-cigarettes free on the NHS, providing financial incentives for pregnant smokers and taking stronger action against smoking Campaigns.

Some countries have already banned smoking outside cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants, including New Zealand.

This was due to the increase in people eating and drinking outside during the coronavirus pandemic.

Smokers and non-smokers were forced to mix more while eating outdoors, which was not appreciated by non-smokers.

Who is affected by the smoking ban?

In his speech at the 2023 Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that children under 14 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in their lives.

He said: “People turn to cigarettes at a young age.

“Four out of five smokers started smoking by the age of 20. Later, the vast majority try to stop.”

“But many fail because they are addicted and wish they had never picked up the habit.”

Existing smokers will dodge the ban and Mr Sunak promised MPs a “free vote” on his plans, meaning they can defy them without fear of disciplinary action.

Mr Sunak insisted a ban was the “only way” to break the vicious cycle in which children pick up the habit and then struggle to break it as adults.

How will the smoking ban work?

The crackdown, which will ultimately lead to the ban on cigarettes, will work by raising the smoking age by one year each year until it is completely banned.

It increases from 21 years to 22 years the following year and so on.

This means that children born after January 2009 are legally never allowed to purchase tobacco.

Existing smokers will bypass the ban.

Raising the legal smoking age annually was one of the central recommendations of a government mandate review to smoke.

Mr Sunak said: “We must tackle the biggest, entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability and death.

“And that is smoking and our country. Smoking is the cause of one in four cancer deaths.”

The prime minister also announced plans to ban e-cigarettes with packaging and flavors designed to appeal to young people.