Is the UK Going to Ban Smoking Altogether?

The former prime minister made waves in Westminster by announcing the potential of a smoking ban in 2024, hoping to create a smoke-free generation by 2030.

After a change in government, the idea of a new UK smoking ban was sort of lost in the shuffle. With around 13% of the population being smokers and vocal opposition to new outright smoking bans, there is still a debate to be had around the issue.

Smoking is dangerous for your health, is thought to be a gateway drug for younger people and costs money to the public and institutions. With more noise circling the issue of smoking bans, it’s helpful to know what the laws are, why bans might be considered and what the future of smoking the UK looks like.

Current Smoking Laws in the UK

Since studies into the dangers of smoking in the 1950s and 60s, smoking laws in the UK have become more restrictive. In 1965, smoking advertisements were banned from appearing on TV and by 1984, when the first National No Smoking Day was launched, public opinion was shifting.

The major change came in the famous smoking ban of 2007. It became illegal to smoke in enclosed public spaces, workplaces and substantially covered spaces. The legal age of purchase rose from 16 to 18, and smoking was also banned on all forms of public transport.

The ban was further updated in 2014 to make it illegal to smoke in private vehicles when there were passengers under 18 inside. Further developments in smoking policies include the introduction of standardised packaging in 2016 when advertising restrictions were also put on e-cigarettes.

Is a Full Smoking Ban on the Horizon?

Despite the change in government, Keir Starmer and the Labour Party will continue forward with a new smoking ban. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was confirmed in July, and it means that tobacco cannot be sold to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. There will also be a restriction on the sale and marketing of vapes, especially to children.

The law is expected to pass later this year and will come into effect in 2025.

The government is also considering a proposal to ban smoking in outdoor spaces, including pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, spaces outside of hospitals, nightclubs, and smaller parks. A similar ban on smoking outside hospitals, playgrounds and schools has been in effect in Wales since 2021.

The Labour government can only enact these changes in England and Wales, but the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland are looking set to enforce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Why the UK Is Considering Banning Smoking Altogether

A UK smoking ban has long been considered due to the negative effects it has on people and society in general. Smoking is a huge public health concern and is the biggest cause of preventable deaths. This is due to the number of smoking-related illnesses which caused 75,800 deaths last year.

These include:

• Many forms of cancer
• Lung disease
• Heart issues
• Birth defects
• Fertility problems
• Autoimmune diseases

Beyond smokers’ health, smoking costs the NHS and government a lot of money. Smoking costs the NHS and social care over £3bn a year, whilst our society as a whole is down £17bn a year because of it.

The smoking ban in 2007 and the proposed one in 2023 have all been part of a desire to reduce smoking rates in younger people. The rate of children smoking has dropped rapidly since 2000. Still, it is estimated that 280 people under 16 will start smoking each day. Studies have also suggested that smoking can act as a gateway to drugs such as cannabis, creating more problems for society.

Beyond more education in schools about the danger of smoking, streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney Plus now have specific smoking warnings on shows and movies they stream.

Impact of Smoking Ban on Current Smokers

The proposed outdoor smoking ban and raising the legal age of buying tobacco products would have a large effect on people addicted to nicotine. Cigarettes would not be criminalised but prevent people from smoking in spaces like outside nightclubs and hospitals, parks, pub gardens and sports venues, which would greatly restrict where people can smoke.

It seems the continued intended restriction would make smoking more trouble than it is worth. There are many alternatives to smoking, including vaping, which will fall under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that was laid out in the King’s Speech in July.

Vapes contain much less nicotine than cigarettes and are deemed to be a good aid in quitting smoking. There is also Nicotine Replacement Therapy, where you use nicotine gum, patches and other medicine with low levels of nicotine to help you wean yourself off of it.

There are local NHS services available to help you stop smoking, where you’ll receive your stop smoking treatment and have your carbon monoxide level measured to ensure you are not smoking. Addiction counselling can also be useful, helping you deal with the mental health fallout of your addiction and better understand why you are struggling.

What Other Countries Have Done About Smoking

The new smoking ban in 2024 would be one of the most restrictive in the world. The UK would not be the first, though, to bring in such laws. Earlier in the year, France enacted a ban on smoking in public spaces. Portugal is looking to enact similar laws, and in 2023, Mexico became one of the most anti-smoking countries where smoking is permitted only in private residences.

Canada is also now printing health warnings on individual cigarettes and filter paper, whilst in Australia, they have created smoke-free public places with a focus on banning smoking at events for under-18s.

Existing and new smoking laws have also impacted smoking prevalence around the world.

• Australia – 28% in 1990 to 10.6% in 2022.
• Canada – Around 23% in 2003 to below 12% in 2022.
• Mexico – 28% in 1990 to 16% today.
• France – 30% in 2000 to 25.3% in 2021.

What Can We Learn?

Culture has a lot to do with how well bans work. Smoking prevalence is still high in France and is seen as glamorous, built into French culture. In Mexico, there have been questions of how to enforce the ban and whether corruption will flourish.

Focusing not just on banning but also on education and slow phasing out seems to be the best way to avoid wide condemnation and compliance.

What’s Next for Smoking in the UK?

So, is the UK banning smoking altogether?

Well, if the laws were passed, then smoking would be pretty restricted. The age of purchase will slowly increase until way in the future when no person living can legally purchase tobacco.

More restrictions are likely to come for e-cigarettes as we come to understand more about the dangers of them and how they are marketed towards younger people.

What is good is that the noise against these types of laws is coming from those who will lose money. The general public is in favour of the outdoor smoking ban, with three-quarters of the public in favour of it.

If the desire from the public is there to make changes, and support is made available for those suffering from nicotine addiction, then it is a real possibility that smoking and the illnesses it causes will be a thing of the past in our lifetimes.

Find Out More Now

If you want to learn more about nicotine addiction or are interested in rehab, we at Action Rehab can help.

To take the first step towards recovery, call our expert team now at 01512686992.

Posted on Monday, September 23rd, 2024 at 8:28 am in Latest News.