The UK government introduced a bill led by Rishi Sunak to phase out smoking among youth

London: On Wednesday, the British government will present a bill in parliament to carry out its pledge to phase out youth smoking by outlawing the sale of tobacco products to future generations. If the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is approved as is, it would rank among the strongest anti-tobacco legislation in the world and forbid minors under the age of 15 from ever being able to lawfully sell tobacco products.

Since the government has said that smoking will not be made illegal, those who are now able to purchase tobacco products lawfully will not be prohibited from doing so in the future.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated in a statement, “If we want to build a better future for our children, we need to tackle the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death: smoking.”

Opponents label the action as “unconservative,” and a number of ruling party members, including former prime minister Liz Truss, have said they would vote against the bill. The opposition Labour Party has indicated that it will support the bill, therefore despite the resistance, it is anticipated to pass.

A similar regulation that was imposed in New Zealand and prohibited tobacco sales to anybody born after January 1, 2009 was removed last month by the new coalition administration in that nation.

According to the British government, smoking costs the country’s economy and National Health Service an estimated 17 billion pounds ($21.63 billion) annually. The British government, which supports vaping as a means to lessen the risks associated with smoking, has been compelled to adopt stricter regulations due to a significant increase in vape usage among young people and nonsmokers.

In an effort to curb the surge in young vaping, the proposed law would also provide new authorities the ability to control the tastes and packaging of vapes, as well as alter how they are exhibited in stores.