UK's Anti-Tobacco Law Passed, Is It a Wise Choice for 'Public Health'?

a range of controversies related to the UK's 2009 ban on tobacco sales

Is the ‘stupid law’ a wise choice for ‘public health’?

The story of the push for a tobacco ban in the United Kingdom is truly remarkable news – the fact that such a bill is progressing to the point of passing through parliament is quite remarkable – but there are some puzzling aspects to the background and reality of this legislation.

The UK Parliament recently passed a landmark anti-smoking bill that centers on ensuring that people born after 2009 will never be able to legally purchase tobacco for the rest of their lives, and it does so by phasing in a one-year increase in the legal smoking age each year. It also includes a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, restrictions on youth-attracting products, and more.

Highlights : Lifetime ban on tobacco starting with 2009 births, ban on disposable e-cigarettes, restrict youth-attractive products, limit where tobacco is sold, expand smoking-free zones, increase tobacco cessation education, introduce new tobacco cessation treatment services, etc.
Pros : Improves public health, economic benefits, protects youth, promotes social equality, etc.
Opponents : infringe on personal freedoms, questionable effectiveness, increase social costs, decrease personal responsibility, etc.

What does the future hold for the many companies involved in the ‘tobacco ban’ in the UK?

Tobacco companies : shrinking UK market, seeking new revenue streams, focusing on international markets
E-cigarette companies : increased regulation in the UK market, expansion into international markets, new product development
Stop smoking treatment companies : increasing demand for stop smoking treatment services, developing new stop smoking treatment technologies
Other related companies : healthcare organizations, insurance companies, tourism industry, etc.

Most notably, tobacco companies, which have the largest market share in the UK, are supporting the bill because they want to further facilitate their move into the e-cigarette market. One of the pitfalls of the bill is that it only specifies a ban on paper cigarettes, but not e-cigarettes.

a variety of controversies related to this

Britain’s No. 1 tobacco company backs anti-smoking bill to expand e-cigarette market share
It is alleged that the UK government is pursuing the interests of tobacco companies by banning only paper cigarettes in the name of quitting smoking and legalizing e-cigarettes
There is an opinion that the anti-smoking bill would infringe on personal freedom, question its effectiveness and increase social costs

In the UK, e-cigarettes are categorized as “vapor” to distinguish them from “smoke”. What this means is that once the ban is implemented, the number one tobacco company will quickly shift to the e-cigarette market, and they already control 80% of the UK e-cigarette market.

While this legislation appears to be well-intentioned on the surface, looking out for the public’s health, there is crony capitalism and political connections behind it. The ban on paper cigarettes is just one part of the company’s strategy to crush competitors and monopolize the market.

The UK smoke-free bill could be an important step in tackling the smoking problem, but it also raises concerns about infringing on personal freedoms and increasing social inequality. It remains to be seen how the bill will affect British society, and we need to continue to discuss and work to address the issue of smoking in our own society.