this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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UK moves to ban smoking for everyone born after 2008 (www.dw.com)
submitted 2 days ago by 8oow3291d@feddit.dk to c/world@lemmy.world
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  • 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
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[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

OK, so why exactly did prohibition fail? You ignored my question completely.

Because it led to increased use, increased abuse, and when black markets are owned by organised crime, insane crime rates. Society just simply couldn't take the chaos prohibition was causing, so it got legalised.

Because when you take booze away from drinkers they get mad.

When you take weed away, weeders just get scared and go away to grow some more. Cocaine on the other hand? You've no idea how much the world would improve and how much drug abuse would be lowered if we simply had legal and regulated versions of everything. It's the only way to regulate them and they exist anyway.

So either you're a prude and pretend there's a reason for prohibition and allow one of the largest industries in the world by trade to be controlled entirely by organised crime and all that follows with it... or you actually look at the facts and realise legalising is the only way to go.

I've had this discussion literally thousands of times over 20 years.

You assume prohibition lowers use. But you have absolutely no facts to back that up.

Where can I go to see a whole building of people smoking weed or taking drugs?

Any building in a poor area. Any prison nearby. Any pub as well. Just because people aren't doing blow on the tables doesn't mean that there isn't at one coked up guy in every fucking bar on the planet. Just because you're too ignorant to recognise recreational users doesn't mean they're not everywhere.

Are you even British? Not sure why you'd even care if you're not.

Oh so in Britain social sciences and basic economics of the world just go out the window? It's always "I don't care" and getting upset because you realise there literally isn't anything to back up your side and you've been on the side of incredibly silly lies for your entire life. I've had people spit in my face and go "You're stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!" because they got so upset they couldn't name a single actual reason why drug prohibition should exist.

I'm tired of writing up the very basics of the argument I've been having with "experts" like you for years so why don't you read up on them yourself a bit. I hate being the "do your own research" guy, but yeah, please do.

Start here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_liberalization

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395924002573

https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/Justice%20-%20Post%201.pdf

Or as I know reading is boring listen to the last minute or two of this forner undercover police officer who infiltrated drug gangs talk about this:

https://youtu.be/y_TV4GuXFoA?t=702

He's the author of "Good Cop, Bad War", one of the most important voices for reform with his organisation Law Enforcement Action Partnership. They advocate for the full regulation of all drug markets to take control away from organised crime. He is, in fact, British. (Not that it matters.)

[–] greyfrog@sh.itjust.works -4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Prohibition is not the same as banning them for people born later than 2008 in any sense of the word.

We're talking about banning for people who will never be able to buy cigarettes, not people who were able to and were later denied this.

With prohibition you're conveniently missing the fact enforcement was poor and loopholes existed. Plus you were denying people alcohol who already drank.

Along with this was the fact that public support was not in favour.

I think you'll find a lot of people support a blanket ban on smoking.

Also stop using the argument of appealing to authority.

Finally, I'm talking a pub full of people and you're talking about one guy on blow. Yeah, seems like less people are using drugs than taking drugs. Obvious , right?

I'm not a prude. I'd support legalisation of certain drugs and decriminilisation of others. It depends purely (for me) on how damaging they are but they wouldn't be for me to decide. I firmly believe though that drug users don't belong in prison at all.

Edit: To make me belive this prohibition shit you'd have to convince me that prohibition fails when public support is high. Perhaps like a majority Islamic country where I would assume people support the banning of alcohol.

It seems to me like it works there fine.