Rishi Sunak's bill aims to create the UK's first smoke-free generation in a major public health intervention.

Plans to stop young people born since 2009 ever smoking are being debated and will be voted on later.

Rishi Sunak’s bill aims to create the UK’s first smoke-free generation in a major public health intervention.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would ensure anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettes, and also aims to make vapes less appealing to children.

A number of Tory MPs have told the BBC they won’t back the bill.

The BBC understands that Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is considering voting against the plans.

  • xePBMg9@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    184·
    7 months ago

    Smoking does cost society money. Where medical care is subsidised by the public; we sure should prevent people from making money of selling self destructive stuff.

    • talEnglish
      81·
      7 months ago

      IIRC in the US, it’s revenue-positive for the government. Smokers tend to die earlier, and on average don’t collect various old-age benefits, and that outweighs the costs.

      googles

      This was from 1989, so inflation will have changed the dollar values, but I doubt that it’s changed qualitatively:

      https://www.nber.org/system/files/chapters/c11584/c11584.pdf

      Our simulations suggest that each median-wage male smoker in the 1920 birth cohort roughly “saves” the Social Security system $20,000, and each median-wage female smoker saves $10,000.

    • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      71·
      7 months ago

      People shouldn’t have to be treated like children just because there’s public healthcare. People should be allowed to smoke, do drugs, and eat cheeseburgers if they want to.