Britons WANT children under 21 to be banned from smoking, survey reveals

According to a study, Brits want young people under the age of 21 not to buy cigarettes.

They also believe that tobacco sales near schools should be limited.

Around 6.9 million adults smoke in the UK and it is estimated that around 200,000 children start smoking each year.

Cigarettes contain thousands of harmful chemicals and smoking is the largest known preventable cause of cancer.

Addiction also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, the UK’s two biggest killers.

A similar radical policy was recently launched in the UK, with the goal of being “smoke-free” by 2030.

A proposed “nanny state” has even made it illegal for today’s children to buy cigarettes.

But ministers are expected to reject the policies outlined in a government report earlier this summer.

Another recommendation was to ban smoking in smoking areas in beer gardens, restaurants, open-air restaurants, clubs and even beaches.

Scientists at University College London achieved public consensus on such policies to restrict tobacco use and sale, through surveys conducted in September 2021.

They asked 2,197 people living in England, Scotland and Wales what they thought of possible policies to restrict the sale and use of tobacco.

Half of the respondents thought that the legal smoking age should be raised to 21, while a third disagreed.

The overwhelming majority of people – about 70 percent – were in favor of limiting the availability of tobacco in schools.

“This clear majority is a call to governments that further policies to limit tobacco sales will be well supported,” said Loren Kock. tobacco control.

“Past policies such as a tobacco tax and a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces are at the root of the current smoking reduction trend.”

“More policies will likely help the UK government meet its target of 5% smoking by 2030.”

Currently, 8% of people in the UK are expected to smoke by 2030.

Seemingly broad support for more action could mean that the UK will follow in the footsteps of New Zealand, which in July this year became the first country in the world to pass laws that consistently raise the age to buy cigarettes each year.

The policy means that people aged 14 and under will never be able to legally purchase tobacco at the time the law takes effect.

Around 6 million people smoke in the UK and this is the cause of 64,000 deaths each year. The NHS spends £2.4 billion a year treating smoking-related conditions.

In 2007, the minimum age to buy tobacco in the UK increased from 16 to 18, while indoor smoking became illegal.

Authorities followed the measures in 2017 with a policy of replacing all branded packaging with simple green-brown boxes.