London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce plans on Monday to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes to prevent children from using them and reiterate the government’s intention to introduce a law to prevent younger generations from buying tobacco.
Under the new powers, e-cigarette flavors will be restricted, plain packaging will be required and the way e-cigarettes are displayed will be changed to make them less attractive to children.
Sunak said in a statement: “As well as our commitment to stop the legal sale of cigarettes to children aged 15 or under this year, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting the health of our children in the long term.
The government says smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer, causing a quarter of cancer-related deaths and around 80,000 people smoke every year. In October, Sunak announced plans to pass a law that would mean anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, would not be able to buy tobacco during their lifetime.
While e-cigarettes are seen as key to helping people quit smoking, there have been concerns they could lead to nicotine addiction in young people, with 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds now using e-cigarettes, the government said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in December that all e-cigarette flavors should be banned.
However, industry groups and the British E-cigarette Industry Association believe that the health risks of e-cigarettes are significantly lower than tobacco, and flavors are key to encouraging smokers to switch to e-cigarettes.
“I have an obligation to do what I think is right for our country in the long term,” Sunak said.
“That’s why I’m taking bold action to ban single-use e-cigarettes – which are driving the rise of youth vaping – and propose new powers to restrict e-cigarette flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how e-cigarettes are displayed in shops. “
The government says that as well as the health benefits, a ban on disposable e-cigarettes will also help the environment, with five million e-cigarettes being thrown away every week.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
