October 17, 2023
The U.K. is the latest to pitch a generational smoking ban, which would stop those who are 14 years old and younger now from ever buying cigarettes legally. If passed, the law would mean the legal smoking age would increase by one year every year until it applies to the whole population. Officials there hope it will create the first smoke-free generation. It would follow a similar law passed in New Zealand. Surveys show that younger Canadians are turning to smoking less and less, with 3% of 15 to 19-year-olds estimated to be smokers in 2020, a drop from 5% the year prior. However, the country's teen vaping rates are among some of the highest in the world.