- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Sat, 23 Sep 2023 09:27 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could soon introduce measures that would ban the future generation from being able to buy cigarettes. Reportedly the British PM is looking at anti-smoking steps similar to laws New Zealand announced last year, which includes a ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, The Guardian wrote, citing government sources.
"We want to encourage more people to quit and meet our ambition to be smoke free by 2030, which is why we have already taken steps to reduce smoking rates," Sunak's government spokesperson responded over an email to Reuters.
These measures include free vape kits, a voucher scheme to incentivise pregnant women to quit, and consulting on mandatory cigarette pack inserts, the spokesperson added.
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The official, however, did not make any comments on the cigarette ban.
The schemes under consideration are a part of a new consumer-focused drive from Sunak's team ahead of the expected elections to be held next year.
In May, this year, the UK announced that it would close a loophole that let sellers give free samples of vapes to children in a clampdown on e-cigarettes.
Separately, councils in England and Wales in July called on the UK government to ban the sale of single-use vapes by 2024 in view of environmental and health issues.
