Cigarette smoking causes the death of more than 480,000 Americans per year. When you combine the deaths caused each year by HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm-related incidents, it’s still less than the amount of people killed by cigarette smoking.
According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.3% of the population (28.3 million American adults) are cigarette smokers. The addictive habit is known to cause 90% of deaths by lung cancer, and double to quadruple the risk of coronary heart disease and strokes.
At this point, these staggering statistics don’t come as a shock to many. Everyone is aware smoking isn’t good for you. However, some countries are taking the next steps with the ambitious objective to create a “smoke-free generation.” On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, parliament passed the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban intending to make the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009 illegal in the UK. That would mean those currently at the age of 15 and below, would never legally be able to buy cigarettes.
“By stopping children and young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and tobacco we decrease their chances of developing preventable diseases later in life, and will protect children from the harms of nicotine addiction,” added Professor Steve Turner, president of the Royal College for Pediatrics and Child Health, in favor of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
UK government data shows that cigarette smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in the country, costing the lives of about 80,000 people in the UK each year.
The current legal age to purchase cigarettes in the UK is 18. The new bill doesn’t plan to go into effect until 2027. If all goes accordingly, the legal age to buy cigarettes would be bumped up one year, each year until the entire the sale of cigarettes is illegal to the population. It was made clear that those currently able to purchase tobacco won’t be affected by those changes.
We can’t help but wonder if the bill officially passes, what’s to come of tobacco sales in the United States? Until then, we’ll keep you updated on the latest.