A new effort to eradicate the very concept of smoking for an entire generation. 

Under Rishi Sunak’s proposed law, anyone born after the 1st January 2009 will never be legally able to buy cigarettes in the UK. 

Smoking kills. Embedded onto every cigarette packet in the UK. The numbers are astounding, with, according to gov.uk, smoking causing ‘around 1 in 4 of all UK cancer deaths’.

The primary concern surrounding smoking is that it is a highly addictive substance, as it contains nicotine, trapping unwilling people into a vicious cycle of continuous smoking, which can be difficult to break, potentially leading to fatal health issues, from lung cancer to cardiovascular disease. 

However, will the law actually significantly reduce the number of young people who smoke, or will it just create a black market for smoking? Smoking is currently regulated under the age restriction of 18 years old, proved by the verification of your ID. Banning smoking entirely can lead to a greater disregard of the substances within tobacco, considering they would be sourced illegally and therefore, may not be regulated safely. This would be ultimately much more harmful than having a controlled environment.

On an individual scale, the social ostracisation will cause a glaring disparity between people on either side of the 1st January 2009 mark. Smoking has been deeply embedded into our surroundings, with teenagers raised with an impression already built. Whether seeing it on the screen, from Stranger Things to Sherlock Holmes, watching famous celebrities smoke or even within their own family and friends, by banning smoking altogether, it is an entire generation that is isolated from the rest of society.

Still, smoking has a substantially negative impact on the NHS and economy as a whole. According to ash (action on smoking and health), a sum total of £14 billion is lost due to smoking. The detriment to the country’s economy reflects the scale at which smoking affects us, emphasising the need to put a stop to the issue long-term.

Even so, the tobacco products industry is also estimated to support the country’s economy to balance this out, estimated at £22.6 billion in 2022 according to Statista, consequently boosting the economy, and it would be unreasonable to outlaw the majority of consumers in such a drastic way, as law-abiding businesses may not be able to survive the sudden decrease in profits.

The UK is not the first country to consider this proposition; New Zealand had echoed the concept of a ‘Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act’, but it was quickly repealed last year, by Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, recognising the extent of the issues it would propel.

Smoking is acknowledged as a risk that impacts large numbers of the UK public, but the debate continues whether it can be eradicated by outlawing buying cigarettes for this generation of young people, or if other preventative but less extreme and outright measures should be taken, that still allow the scope of choice for young people.