Plans to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals

The government has announced plans to make smoking illegal in children’s play areas, outside schools and hospitals in England, and some places have also lifted bans on e-cigarettes.

It is already an offense to smoke in an NHS hospital in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Bill would also make it currently impossible for anyone aged 15 and under to buy cigarettes (something the previous government had planned) and give greater powers to restrict e-cigarette flavours, displays and packaging.

Starting next June, there will be a ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. It has already been announced in England and Wales.

Health Minister Wes Streeting said the government was taking “bold steps” to create a smoke-free generation, “preventing children from becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping” and protecting vulnerable people from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

Plans include extending the ban on indoor smoking to certain outdoor settings, such as schools and hospitals, to protect children and the most vulnerable.

However government backs down plans to ban smoking in pubs and bar gardens in England.

It was stated that a ban on electronic cigarettes outdoors is also being considered in some places.

All proposals will be open to public discussion in the coming months.

According to the bill, shops will need to obtain a license to sell tobacco, electronic cigarettes and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This means an immediate £200 fine for retailers or anyone under the age of 18 selling unregulated products.

A registration system for retailers selling these products has been in place in Scotland since 2017.

Smoking puts huge pressure on the NHS. It causes 80,000 deaths a year in the UK and is responsible for a quarter of deaths from cancer.

It also increases the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, asthma and dementia.

Smoking costs the economy £18bn a year in lost productivity, with a third of smokers more likely to be sick from work, the government has said.

Health organizations welcomed the bill, which will be subject to consultations over the next six months.

Action on Smoking and Health said this would help create a country where young people will never start smoking.

Prof Nick Hopkinson, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It is important to have discussions about how we can protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of second-hand smoke.”

He added: “The government’s next important step is to set out in more detail how it will help the UK’s six million smokers to quit. This will require a properly funded scheme paid for by a tax on tobacco companies.”

British Heart Foundation chief executive Dr. Charmaine Griffiths said she welcomed the government’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable people from second-hand smoke in schools, playgrounds and hospital areas.

“We also welcome measures that will make vaping less attractive to young people,” he said.

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