• Technically, the new law will raise the legal age requirement in the UK for buying cigarettes, cigars or tobacco, which is currently 18, by one year in every subsequent year, starting on January 1, 2027
  • This will effectively mean that people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be eligible to buy them
  • Retailers will face financial penalties for selling the products to those not entitled to them
  • The government will also be empowered to impose a new registration system for smoking and vaping products entering the country, seeking to improve oversight
  • The bill will expand the UK’s indoor smoking ban to a series of outdoor public spaces, for instance in children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals
  • Most indoor spaces that are designated smoke-free will become vape-free as well
  • Smoking in designated areas outside pubs and bars and other hospitality settings will remain permissible
  • Smoking and vaping will remain legal in people’s homes
  • Vaping will become illegal in cars if someone under the age of 18 is inside, to match existing rules on smoking
  • Advertising for smoking and vaping products will be banned
  • People aged 18 or older will remain eligible to purchase vaping products, but some items targeted at younger consumers like disposable vapes have already been outlawed as part of the program
  • MBech@feddit.dk
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    5 hours ago

    There surely will become somewhat of a black market, but not in the same way as weed or harder drugs. Smoking doesn’t really give you a buzz except for the first few times, so people won’t go to the black market for the effect, but rather to keep the withdrawels at bay. It would seem incredibly silly to buy cigarettes like people buy weed, when all it really does for a first timer is taste horrible, make you cough, and if you actually manage to inhale, make you a bit dizzy. Sure, some people from 2009 and onwards will start to smoke, but it’ll be a whole lot less people than today.

    • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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      1 hour ago

      Do you remember being a teenager? You’re describing something that is extremely addictive AND the government is banning you from trying it because you were born too late. This is just asking for a shit show. I’d rather the cigs be guaranteed not to contain lead (or whatever). Forcing a black market just removes all regulation on the vice. Each year that market will get larger. It’s literally a guaranteed increase of demand in the black market over time.

      I really think the methods used in the US to reduce smoking really need to be duplicated in other countries. The US literally has like one good thing that we got right somehow. In comparison to Asia or a lot of Europe I never see people smoking.

      Vapes are a whole different story. But, even before vapes were a thing the US really did a good job at making smoking socially unacceptable through multiple policies.

      We literally have examples of methods that work well AND methods that don’t. Outright bans never work with vices.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      You realize in the 1930s there was a black market for cigerettes when they weren’t even illegal, right?

      Mafias had support from the people, because mobs supplied booze, which WAS illegal. They made so much money from that, they started robbing cigerette trucks. Then selling legal cigerettes, at full cost, simply because the people trusted the mob over the government.

      • Mitchie151@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        There’s a huge black market for tobacco products here in Australia and it’s completely legal, simply having the tax on it so high has led to massive smuggling operations, black market cigarettes in many convenience stores, and a fire bombing epidemic of those same convenience stores for carrying competitors black market cigs. It doesn’t even need to be illegal. Just too expensive.

        • Maeve@kbin.earth
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          2 hours ago

          Yup, a local substance plug sells cigarettes in addition to other goods and services, the cigarettes are less than the shops.

      • SailorFuzz@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        1930s didnt have overwhelming evidence that smoking was stupid, addictive, and disastrously dangerous to your health.

        Smoking doesnt produce the same euphoria and consistency of drugs on the current blackarket. The juice wont be worth the squeeze. Financially, there wont be enough “consumers” for a cigarette black market.

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          I think you misunderestimate how addictive cigerettes are. My friends mom goes through $80 worth of cigerettes every 2-3 days.

          • backalleycoyote@lemmy.today
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            2 hours ago

            Real question- is that volume or branding? Depending on where you are/what brand, that might be a 1.5-2 pack a day habit of higher quality smokes; not unheard of for a typical heavy smoker. If you’re spending that much on ass-end packs that cost you $6/ea, that’s pushing 4 packs a day, which is like legendary status few can achieve anymore.

            • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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              44 minutes ago

              Oh, I thought you were replying to thr other message. Still, it’s just below here, where I said she smokes 5-8 packs a day.

              She also has this bag of loose tabacco where she rolls her own. She uses that when she can’t afford marlborrow.

          • SailorFuzz@lemmy.world
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            4 hours ago

            Right,but theyre not banning it for people like her… theyre banning it for people born after 2008. Is your mom 18 years old?

            • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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              3 hours ago

              Are you claiming that minors don’t smoke because it’s not legal? That’s what you’re going with?

              • SailorFuzz@lemmy.world
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                3 hours ago

                God youre annoying.

                Youre just looking to be combative. Youre cool dude, so cool, just so so cool that you should go back to reddit. So fucking cool how you intentionally need to argue the most braindead niche “uhm actually” talking point you can muster.

                • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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                  1 hour ago

                  You can just not respond next time mate. When you type out a comment like this; just go “nah” and hit “discard” next time.

                  Also, your entire point rests on “they won’t do it because it’s bad for them AND illegal”.

                  Have you ever been a teenager? Something that they are told “your too young to do that” is like crack for them. It’s not “niche” to consider this major factor of how people get addicted early in life.

        • skaffi@infosec.pub
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          4 hours ago

          There already is a big, thriving black market for cigarettes in the EU country I’m in, simply due to high tobacco taxes. I can only assume the same will be true for other places that tax similarly. Are you really saying that an outright ban won’t result in a greater unmet demand, and thus more customers shopping at the black markets? It sounds unlikely to me that black market dealers will close up shop, because of a ban on the legal sale of cigarettes. The black market is already banned, but that’s not exactly stopping them.

        • Maeve@kbin.earth
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          5 hours ago

          Cigarette companies add things to make them more addictive, including chemical flavorings and extra nicotine. It doesn’t negate what you said, but enhances it.

      • MBech@feddit.dk
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        5 hours ago

        Sure, but a lot has changed since then, and while that totally could happen, I’m doubting it’ll be widespread in any way.

        • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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          1 hour ago

          “yeah, but, nah, trust me bro”

          would have been a better response. At least build your conclusion from something. You’re responding to someone giving a historical example.

          “Times are different” just means it could be worse or better. It doesn’t conclude which or to what degree. You didn’t say anything.

      • leagman1@feddit.org
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        4 hours ago

        I think it might be different nowadays. We know now that smoking causes cancer. Also the world is in color, which makes not smoking more enjoyable.

    • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      They don’t give you a buzz right now. You think prohibition liquor was just as safe as what was produced afterwards, what with all those ridiculous safety regulations gone?