Logical step or transcendence? Guardian readers share their views on the Sunaks smoking ban | smoking

Ddozens of people have shared with the Guardian how they feel about the Rishi Sunaks Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which aims to create the UK's first smoke-free generation. The proposed legislation will not completely ban smoking, but will ensure that anyone born after January 1, 2009 will be banned from buying cigarettes.

Around half of those surveyed said they were in favor of the proposed ban, at least in principle, mainly because of the strain smoking puts on the NHS. However, many questioned its applicability and whether it would have unintended consequences.

Many people said they believed the smoking ban would not stop young people from wanting to use cigarettes, while many others worried that criminalizing smoking could disproportionately affect vulnerable groups.

Various current and ex-smokers said they supported the ban and wanted it to be brought in sooner, while many others described the ban as an overreach by the government and questioned why smoking was singled out among other harmful activities. , such as driving polluting cars. or consumption of sugar and alcohol.

Many people said they agreed that people should smoke less, but said they would prefer less draconian measures, such as raising the legal smoking age or better education about the harmful effects of smoking. rather than a total ban.

The high cost of treating smokers affects us all

As an ex-smoker, I fully support the ban. It is good that the commercial opportunities for tobacco companies are weighed against the rising costs of treating tobacco-related diseases, paid for by government taxes for everyone, not just smokers. I had quit smoking by the time the indoor smoking ban came in and I wish it had been proposed 20 years ago.

My kids can't understand what life was like in the 80s and 90s, going to smoke filled clubs and bars. I don't think this ban will stop all smoking, but it will go a long way in reducing it significantly.
Scott, 60, from Leeds

Vulnerable people will simply turn to drug dealers

While I like the idea of ​​people not being allowed to smoke, I think this is completely unworkable and will create a black market.

People will smoke if they want to and that means people will be [illegally] selling cigarettes to people. It is likely to be the same people who deal with stronger drugs, thus exposing potentially vulnerable people to stronger drugs and creating more problems.
David Taylor, 54, from Preston

I fear that this ban will hit minority groups the hardest

Although the strategy is not bad, if we ban smoking, then we should also ban fried chicken, sugar and cars. We have other, bigger threats to health than smoking now, for example, exposure to chemicals, pollution and poor diet, leading to chronic diseases such as diabetes.

It's a pointless law, as you can still buy cigarettes abroad. My concern is how this law can be applied fairly and consistently. I fear that it will be used to further persecute minority groups who may not escape the violation of this law in comparison to others.
Janis, 32, works in HR at a London hospital

Just raise the age limit to access nicotine

It's a desperate attempt by Sunak to commit to something, anything, before his election loss. The smoking ban worked badly for Jacinda Ardern [New Zealand has already scrapped its smoking ban]. Smoking is bad, but so are many other things that are perfectly legal. I don't agree with the ban, but the minimum age should be higher for all nicotine products. At 21, people will be less inclined to try it simply because others are.

Banning things doesn't stop people from taking them. It just puts that money out of the tax bracket into criminal enterprises. As tobacco tax revenues are extremely high, this will significantly affect the finances of nations over time.
John, 40, account manager from Wales

A ban will stop many from starting

I strongly support it. I started smoking new and it has had a massive negative impact on my life and health. It was very easy to get cigarettes when I was a teenager.

One concern is that imported black market cigarettes tend to be even more dangerous, but a ban will still help a large number of people and stop many from starting.
Ted, 42, from Wolverhampton

This ban is another anti-nightlife policy

I am a liberal and I am against such a thing. Adults should be able to smoke if they want, just as they should be able to drink alcohol. If we want to make this country more and more dull and puritanical, we are moving in the right direction with our broader war against nightlife.
Alex, 23, council worker from Shrewsbury

Great Britain is becoming a nanny state

I don't agree. I believe people should have a choice and if people are informed it should be up to them how to live their lives. I'm overweight and it causes more problems in the NHS, so let's get rid of chocolate, is that the next thing? I look at 1920s America and Prohibition that didn't work. Raise the age to 25, but don't stop it. We are still individuals, aren't we allowed to make choices?

[Im concerned about] Great Britain is turning into a nanny state. The NHS should not dictate how we live our lives, they should just keep us informed. I am very upset that the UK government thinks they have the power to bring something that affects people in the future when they are all dead and gone.
Lorraine, in her 50s, from Warrington

A total ban is the only way

Stopping smoking is overdue. As a non-smoker, I constantly suffer because of the chain smoking habits of the people around me: my parents, my husband and my colleagues. I find that vaping affects my lungs even more than traditional smoking. In the morning I walk to work in the company of teenagers who drink until high school, despite the current restrictions. A total ban is the only way to save those children and the NHS from collapse.
Jo Jones, 45, administrator and carer from Wales

I love that the odd smoke isn't bad

I have very mixed feelings. I don't want my children to smoke, and the idea of ​​no one smoking is attractive for health, the environment and generally living in a better, cleaner world… But this is a profoundly illiberal approach. I smoke occasionally, enjoy the odd cigar with a beer, cigars on a special occasion and even the occasional pill. Smoking is not all bad.
Guy Weston, 43, an advertising agency owner from Ilkley

I have wanted to experience a smoke free life

My father chain-smoked during my mother's pregnancy and throughout my childhood. On every car ride, every Saturday night on the couch, at every restaurant table, in every hotel room. By the time I started smoking at 15, I felt like I had been a smoker since birth. It was completely normalized for me.

However, the look of horror on his face when he saw me smoking for the first time has haunted me. He was furious beyond belief. After 25 years of chain smoking, I realized that his anger was not directed at me. He was angry with himself.

I would never know how different my life would have been without cigarettes, but I wish I had had the chance to find out. Smoking has kept me poor and ashamed for so long. I am finally vaping and have been smoke free for two years. I'm not religious, but I think nicotine is the work of the devil.
Daniel, 42, and film-producer from Nottingham