The New Wave of Smoking Regulations: Are Lifetime Tobacco Bans a Good Solution?

Anyone born on this side of the millennium may find it difficult to grasp that just a couple of decades ago, passengers could smoke on a domestic flight. Those who remember those heady days might also find it hard to believe, looking back, that flights were once loaded at one end with smokers joyfully puffing away.

Whether you remember or not, it is quite a bizarre thought, you might agree: the notion of non-smokers being lumped together with heavy smokers who could blast through an entire pack of cigarettes on a London to New York flight, should they wish. It wouldn’t be unusual to see the occasional pipe or cigar smoker on a flight, filling the rear section with clouds of heavy smoke and gradually adding a tinge of yellow to the cream overhead cabins.

Changing Times

Smoking in strangely inappropriate places was certainly not limited to flights, though. As recently as the nineties, you could whip out a pack of smokes halfway through a job interview and light up without affecting your chances of success. 

Smoking was everywhere. The cosiest of restaurants would be filled with cigarette smoke, as would the doctor’s surgery, the dentists, and even hospital waiting rooms. Imagine, if you can, sparking up halfway through a funeral or church sermon. It almost begs belief, with the benefit of hindsight.

Given how socially frowned upon smoking is these days, it’s quite amusing to think of how commonplace smoking once was. But times have changed for the better, and those examples would be unthinkable in 2024.

The question is, how many years will it be before we look back on smoking anywhere as a bizarre thing? At what point in our future will we reminisce, “I can’t believe people actually used to inhale tobacco smoke… how utterly bizarre.” Well, owing to the newly devised Tobacco and Vapes Bill, set to come into effect in 2027, you can probably guess the year (give or take a few) by crunching a few numbers. 

Smoke-Free Society?

By our estimation, from around 2050 onwards, the vast majority of people under 50 years of age will not smoke or will have quit smoking. By the year 2080, future generations will look at recent history with innate disbelief, shocked that anyone would fill their lungs with smoke for no apparent reason other than being woefully addicted to nicotine. 

In other words, smoking will almost certainly be a thing of the past in around 50 or 60 years – a distant, strange habit indulged by our wacky predecessors.

Through this article, we shall explore the new regulations, explain how we arrived at those figures, and decide if they are a good thing or not. Spoiler alert: of course they are. 

But first, what are the new regulations exactly?

The New Tobacco and Vapes Bill

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be enacted in 2027. It aims to create the first smoke-free generation by continually raising the legal age for purchasing cigarettes and tobacco products and preventing new generations of smokers from becoming addicted to nicotine. In that year, the legal age to buy cigarettes will increase by one year every year, beginning with those born in or after 2009. 

This means that by 2050, the legal age will have risen to 41, effectively preventing anyone born from 2009 onwards from ever legally buying cigarettes. To give credit where due, this is an ingenious way of phasing out smoking, without immediately yanking it away from the 6.5 million people who currently smoke cigarettes in the UK.

Protecting Future Generations

Current smokers (who were born before 2009) will still be able to buy cigarettes, but as they age, the number of legal smokers will gradually erode. Additionally, the government has committed £30 million annually to enforce the regulations, including tackling underage and black market sales. That said, the inevitable black market is not expected to be particularly large or problematic in the first place.

The bill also targets vaping by introducing restrictions on flavours, packaging, and the display of vaping products. By 2025, disposable vapes will be banned entirely, and the following year, a new tax on vaping products will be in place.

What Impact Can We Expect?

Quite a huge one, probably — the Tobacco and Vapes Bill promises huge health benefits. By reducing the number of new smokers, we can expect far lower cases of lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses, among a whole host of other ailments and diseases commonly associated with smoking. Not to mention the reduction in healthcare costs, easing the burden on the NHS and freeing resources for other worthy areas.

Future generations will benefit from a healthier environment with fewer smokers and less exposure to secondhand smoke. This will almost certainly contribute to better public health outcomes and a higher quality of life. It’s difficult to argue any negatives here, really. 

Additionally, the focus on reducing youth vaping will help prevent nicotine addiction in young people, ensuring a healthier future population. The overall aim is to create a society where smoking becomes increasingly rare, leading to a significant positive shift in public health and well-being.

Are the Regulations a Good Thing?

Even the most dedicated cigarette smoker would be hard-pressed to view the regulations as anything other than a positive step in the right direction. Smoking is extremely damaging to our health, causing a wide range of diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory conditions. 

The new regulations aim to protect future generations from these harmful effects by gradually eliminating the habit from society. They are an extremely good thing. 

There is an argument to be made for freedom of choice, although the argument falls a little flat when considering that the actual act of smoking will not be deemed illegal – only the ability to purchase them in the first place will be, gradually, over time.

There are also societal perceptions to consider. While smoking used to be viewed as a normal, commonplace thing, there has been a noticeable shift over the last couple of decades in which smokers are increasingly seen in a negative light, commonly regarded as engaging in a harmful, foolish, and outdated habit.

Societal Benefits

The gradual elimination of smoking through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is an obvious health and societal gain. As smoking begins to decline, public spaces will become cleaner. The social stigma born out of the changing attitude towards smoking will further discourage the habit. 

Economically, reducing smoking rates will ease the burden on the healthcare system, allowing funds to be allocated to other crucial health issues: given the current state of our crumbling NHS, this redirection of precious resources is desperately needed and could greatly improve overall healthcare quality and accessibility.

Overall, the legislation has been engineered to create a healthier, cleaner population without forcing anyone to quit smoking through an immediate ban. Most people will probably embrace the legislation as a reasonable and fair way to address a serious issue, and future generations will benefit immensely from it.

Make the Switch to NEAFS Today!

As our society gradually moves towards a smoke-free future, many people are finding healthier alternatives to traditional smoking: alternatives such as the incredibly popular NEAFS.

NEAFS offers a clever tea-based nicotine replacement that can help you transition away from cigarettes without the slightest discomfort. Our NEAFS sticks, used with the TEO device, provide the familiar sensation of smoking without harmful smoke, ash, or tar. Using NEAFS is just like smoking, without actually smoking!

With our advanced heat-not-burn technology, NEAFS delivers an amazingly satisfying experience, making it easier to quit smoking while still enjoying your usual nicotine intake. Check out our starter bundles today and join the legions of ex-smokers who have successfully made the jump to a smoke-free life with NEAFS.