A bill in the United Kingdom could prevent anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco, and it has the support of more than 1,200 public health leaders.
The Guardian reported that in a letter sent across parties, public health experts said these measures are "far too important to let it slip off the agenda," criticizing the six-month gap between the bill's second reading and this week's debate in the House of Lords.
Not only would this bill make the purchase of tobacco illegal for anyone born in or after 2009, but it could also restrict packaging, marketing, and flavors of e-cigarettes. This presents an opportunity to save young people from the cycle of addiction experienced by older generations.
"Every week, thousands of young people become trapped in a cycle of deadly addiction that will shorten their lives," Hazel Cheesman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said, per the newspaper. "Tobacco is a uniquely harmful product, killing more than half of long-term users. Politicians can protect future generations by passing this truly game-changing legislation."
While cigarette use is down in younger generations, there is growing concern around the use of e-cigarettes. According to Stat, in 2022, 7% of children 11-17 vaped, inhaling toxins that can damage the respiratory system. This only exacerbates the impacts of increasingly polluted air, both indoors and outdoors.
E-cigarette use in children is concerning from a health perspective, and the plastic and lithium-ion batteries that make up these often single-use products can cause fires in homes and landfills, too, overloading the latter with materials that will not biodegrade. Many people are also expressing concern about the overwhelming presence of littered vapes.
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Tobacco groups are threatening legal action over the proposed ban. Some members of the House of Lords and tobacco companies are working to water down the bill, proposing raising the legal purchase age to 21 as an alternative.
Peter Roderick, Association of Directors of Public Health spokesperson, called the bill "an opportunity to save even more lives, protect future generations from becoming addicted to this lethal product, and give freedom to live a healthier life to the 88% of people … who don't smoke."
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