this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
856 points (99.7% liked)

World News

55677 readers
2560 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world

Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
NewsAutoMod@lemmy.world
Tenthrow@lemmy.world
little_cow@lemmy.world
lemmyAtom@lemmy.world
jordanlund@lemmy.world
856
UK moves to ban smoking for everyone born after 2008 (www.dw.com)
submitted 3 days ago by 8oow3291d@feddit.dk to c/world@lemmy.world
520 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
  • 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
(page 5) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] stickly@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (6 children)

I sometimes feel like people get so caught up on the word "prohibition" that their arguments bend towards addiction enabling at a societal scale. Smoking is beyond crazy when you look at the stats (using USA for convenience, but similar for other countries)

  • Cigarettes are the leading cause of preventable disease and death, causing nearly 500k deaths per year. [For reference, the far more popular drug alcohol is the 3rd highest with under 100k deaths]
  • In 2024, 41k deaths were due to second hand smoke exposure alone
  • Cigarettes cost the USA more than $600B in 2018
  • Private insurance only pays for a fraction of the health care costs, the vast majority coming directly/indirectly from public funds
  • The damage done has a vastly disproportionate burden on minorities, the poor and other at-risk populations

The problem is simple: cigarettes are a massive drain on the health system, directly and indirectly. The solution should be just as simple: buying cigarettes forfeits your rights to health care treatments for the damage caused. You get some palliative care but we save the lung transplants for people who aren't killing themselves.

If you think that's too harsh then you should stomach the cost of prohibition, policing and black markets. No matter how shitty, costly and dangerous it may be I promise that it will save lives and money if it's a barrier to even a fraction of smokers.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] FoxtrotDeltaTango@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I believe in freedom, I don’t smoke but others can choose to smoke but there should be rules but the too many rules and if the rules are too strict people will rebel

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Lj404333@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

This is ridiculous. popup vape shops that sell tobacco too, are laughing at these rules and laws, it's profit to them. You can get served from 12yo old in them shops, so now teens can resell it on. Bypassed supermarket enforcements

[–] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Well. This will create an underground for buying cigs. Hopefully though it kills smoking forever. I vape myself but used it to get off cigs. Young kids in America at least hate both, some are still doing it but the stigma is vaping/smoking bad.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›