A government spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that Britain’s goal is to be a completely smoke-free country by 2030.
In Britain, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering ways in which the purchase of tobacco would be possible to be completely banned from future generations. This is reported by the news agency Reuters with reference of The Guardian to government sources.
Sunak is said to have reviewed the anti-smoking measures New Zealand announced last year.
In New Zealand, the smoking age is to be raised by one year every year from 2027, so that no one born after 2008 can legally buy cigarettes. According to current legislation, tobacco may not be sold to people under the age of 18 in New Zealand.
– We want to encourage more people to stop smoking and meet our goal of being completely smoke-free by 2030. For this reason, we have already taken steps to reduce the number of smokers, a spokesperson for the British government told Reuters in an email.
The number of smokers in Britain is already being reduced with, among other things, an initiative to encourage pregnant women to stop smoking, reports Reuters. In addition, one million people who smoke in England will be given free e-cigarettes as part of an initiative to reduce smoking by switching from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
According to Reuters, the government spokesman refused to comment further on the information reported by The Guardian.
Government spokesperson: Smoking is a burden on the economy and healthcare
A government spokesperson told The Guardian that smoking places a huge burden on Britain’s public health system, the NHS, and the British economy.
– Smoking is a deadly habit. It kills tens of thousands of people every year, a government spokesman said.
In May, a loophole was patched in British legislation that allowed retailers to hand out free samples of e-cigarettes to minors.
In addition, city councils in England and Wales asked the government in July to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes by 2024. The ban is justified on the grounds of health and environmental protection.
Source: Reuters