Smoking in United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, smoking is allowed but tobacco products are subject to certain regulations. Under these regulations, there is a complete ban on all forms of tobacco advertising. Cigarettes can be purchased online, but not through vending machines. The importation of cigarettes for trade is allowed with an import license. Additionally, health warnings on cigarette packaging are required, and the minimum legal age for purchase is 18 years. Legal restrictions on smoking in public places are also enforced. Cigarettes in the UK are subject to an excise tax of 50.56% and a total taxation rate of 83.72%. Statistics show a gradual decline in the current smoking prevalence in the UK since 2000. There were approximately 6.7 million current adult smokers in the country in 2024, representing an adult current smoking prevalence of 11.8%. This was 13.1% in 2022, and 27.1% in 2000. Smoking prevalence was higher among males with 13.6% than among females with 10.1% in 2024. Daily smoking prevalence among adults was 9.1% overall, 8.1% among females, and 10.2% among males in 2024. In 2021, smoking led to 75,848 deaths in the UK, of which 44,400 deaths were among males and 31,448 deaths were among females. This shows that smoking consisted 11.05% of all deaths in the country, including 12.6% of all male deaths and 9.42% of all female deaths.
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September 14, 2021 by walesonline.co.uk
When will smoking outdoors be illegal in the UK?
As the Covid-19 pandemic forced restaurant and pub goers outside, a new problem began to arise for the first time since 2007 UK-wide.
Now, non-smokers were in direct contact with smokers, lighting up in public places such as outside restaurant seating.
Smoking inside public areas has been banned across the UK since 2007 (2006 in Scotland), but no such ban has been introduced for outdoor gatherings.
The outdoor eating and drinking culture that Covid-19 has given rise to, has also increased calls to make these areas smoke-free.
September 10, 2021 by ecigarettedirect.co.uk
The new Voopoo Drag is a beaut
Voopoo has made great strides in recent years, releasing a string of high-quality vape devices. In particular, the Voopoo Drag series has become one of the most popular device series in the UK in recent months, and has dominated the pod mod category.
There’s a lot of options to the series, but in this post I’m going to be looking at the newest addition, the Voopoo Drag X Pro pod mod.
September 09, 2021 by walesonline.co.uk
Doctors send out e-cigarette warning to users
Health experts are pushing for health warning labels to be added to e-cigarettes.
Officials from 15 countries agreed there was now enough evidence to warrant a warning being printed on the packages.
According to health chiefs, the warnings should not be 'softer' than the ones found on cigarettes, Birmingham Live reports.
It became UK law for tobacco packets to carry picture warnings in 2008 and health messages must now take up two-thirds of the pack.
There is only very limited regulation covering the sale of e-cigarettes in the UK. However, they contain nicotine, which is addictive, and have been linked to lung and blood vessel damage.
September 07, 2021 by dailymail.co.uk
The vapes as strong as 125 cigarettes: Health fears over new craze among young people for super-strength nicotine devices
Children are buying super-strength vapes – equivalent to smoking 125 cigarettes – in a craze sparking health fears.
They are so powerful that young users have reported lengthy nosebleeds, coughing up blood, headaches, chest pains and dizzy spells.
More than 53,000 of the Geek Bars brand are sold every week in shops – up from around 2,000 in May – despite many having more than twice the legal level of nicotine, industry figures leaked to the Daily Mail show.
Thousands more are believed to be bought online.
August 30, 2021 by theguardian.com
Health experts call for action on e-cigarette packaging aimed at children
Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters.
Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw “totally inappropriate marketing techniques” that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping. They are demanding action to stop e-cigarettes and the e-liquids that go into them from being given names such as “bubblegum candy” and “gummy bears”, which are types of confectionery, and using cartoon images such as “slushies”, ice-filled soft drinks popular with children.
August 25, 2021 by bbc.com
Smoking surge in young during Covid lockdown
England saw a rise in young adults taking up smoking during the first lockdown, according to a study.
The number of 18 to 34-year-olds who classed themselves as smokers increased by a quarter, from 21.5% to 26.8%, says Cancer Research UK.
The data does not explain why the changes occurred but experts believe many turned to cigarettes in response to stress.
At the same time, heavy drinking increased across adults of all ages.
The findings, published in the journal Addiction, come from monthly surveys, each involving hundreds of people, about tobacco and alcohol use.
August 18, 2021 by spiked-online.com
E-cigarettes are not our enemy
Over the past few years, the Department of Health and Social Care has become a fizzing hub of nanny statism.
Matt Hancock was recently caught with his knickers up the flagpole and forced to resign as health secretary. But his successor, Sajid Javid, wants to keep Hancock’s legacy alive, making our lifestyle choices for us through patronising public-health interventions. Javid has hit the ground running. He is happily pursuing his predecessor’s plan to make England ‘smoke free’ by 2030. As part of that strategy, he is reportedly considering restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to adults over the age of 21.
August 03, 2021 by scotsman.com
Readers' Letters - It's time to decriminalise drug usage in Scotland
All political parties have contributed to the current situation as most of the drug-related deaths are long term users who became addicts up to 40 years ago when Thatcher’s austerity policies created high unemployment which drove thousands into poverty plus Labour’s policy of building bleak housing estates with few amenities and even fewer local jobs added to the sense of despair for those with no prospects of a better life.
August 02, 2021 by duluthnewstribune.com
Point/Counterpoint: How can we wipe out youth vaping: Copy the UK's approach
In 2006, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids President Matt Myers said, “The challenge to me is not to eliminate smoking, but the death and disease of smoking. If you had a product that addicted 45 million people and killed none of them, I would take that deal. Then you’d have coffee!”
Since that infamous quote, vaping has proven itself to be the exact miracle of which he spoke, with scientific studies showing it to be at least 95% safer than smoking. [...]
July 29, 2021 by unilad.com
UK’s Largest Tobacco Company Says Cannabis Is ‘Part Of The Future’
The legalisation of marijuana has been a controversial topic. While there have been studies about the health and economical benefits, the UK is yet to legalise its purchase.
Nonetheless, British American Tobacco (BAT) intends to invest in cannabis product development as it accelerates its transformation that reduces the health impact of its products. BAT boss Jack Bowles told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that ‘As we [BAT] think about our portfolio for the future, certainly beyond nicotine products are interesting for us as another wave of future growth.’