UK introduces anti-tobacco bill to 'break the cycle of addiction'

The United Kingdom on Tuesday introduced an anti-tobacco bill to "break the cycle of addiction" that could potentially ban today's children from ever legally being able to smoke.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill started its journey through the British Parliament on Tuesday. The bill gradually raises the minimum age for buying tobacco by one year every year, so that no one born after January 1, 2009 will be able to buy cigarettes.

Britain would have some of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world if the bill is passed, which could be likely because of the Labour Party's majority government.

The government said the bill “breaks the cycle of addiction and paves the way for a smoke-free UK.”

The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people — or about 13 per cent of the population — still smoke, according to official figures.

Law to ban outdoor smoking and vaping

If passed, smoking and vaping would be illegal in some outdoor spaces such as playgrounds and the entrances to schools and hospitals.

Vape flavours would be restricted and bright vape packaging aimed at children would be banned, as a way to fight back against “a cynical industry that has sought to addict a new generation of children to nicotine,” said Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

The bill wouldn't extend to smoking in pub beer gardens, a move which follows opposition from bar owners.

Streeting said the hospitality industry had “taken a real battering in recent years” and it is not “the right time” to ban smoking outside pubs.

Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the UK, and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and poor health.

It is currently illegal in the UK to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people under the age of 18.