The UK government has unveiled plans to make smoking illegal in children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals in England, with certain areas also becoming vape-free. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already made it an offense to smoke on NHS hospital grounds.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also prohibit anyone currently aged 15 or under from buying cigarettes and grant more powers to restrict vape flavors, displays, and packaging. The government previously announced a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes from next June in England and Wales.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the government’s commitment to creating a smoke-free generation, preventing children from becoming addicted to nicotine through vapes, and protecting the vulnerable from second-hand smoke. The proposed legislation will extend the indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor settings, such as schools and hospitals, to safeguard children and the most vulnerable.
However, the government has backtracked on plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and bars in England. It is also considering outdoor vaping bans in some places.
Under the bill, shops in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will need to obtain a license to sell tobacco, vape, and nicotine products. Retailers caught selling unregulated products or to people under 18 will face on-the-spot fines of £200. Scotland has had a registration system for retailers selling these products since 2017.
Smoking puts immense strain on the NHS, causing 80,000 deaths annually in the UK and accounting for one in four cancer-related deaths. It also increases the risk of numerous illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, asthma, and dementia. The government estimates that smoking costs the economy £18bn a year in lost productivity, with smokers a third more likely to take sick leave.
Health charities have welcomed the bill, which will undergo a six-month consultation period. Action on Smoking and Health believes it will help create a country where young people never start smoking. The charity’s chair, Prof Nick Hopkinson, stressed the importance of debating how to protect children and vulnerable people from second-hand smoke and called for a properly funded plan, paid for by a levy on tobacco companies, to help the UK’s six million smokers quit.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, British Heart Foundation chief executive, praised the government’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable people from second-hand smoke in schools, playgrounds, and hospital grounds, as well as measures to make vaping less appealing to young people.
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