UK smokefree generation consultation receives tens of thousands of responses, with vaping a key focu

The UK government has allocated £70 million to support local stop-smoking services, and the public is showing strong interest in the smokefree generation initiative.

Breaking news from the UK Department of Health website on November 8 said the government has announced annual funding of £70 million for local authorities in England to promote stop-smoking services. This funding is expected to help nearly 360,000 people successfully quit smoking. 

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced plans to introduce a landmark new law that would make it illegal to sell cigarettes in England to children aged 14 and under this year. 

He also expressed concern about the rising number of children using vaping devices and announced a “smokefree generation public consultation” on plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vaping products to children. 

The UK government’s “smokefree generation public consultation” is now more than halfway to its deadline and has already received more than 12,000 responses. 

The public consultation will end on Wednesday, December 6. It sets out proposals to prevent underage and illegal sales of tobacco and vaping products, and plans to introduce on-the-spot fines for sales to minors. The consultation is open to people of all ages across the UK to share their experiences and views and help shape future vaping and smoking policy.  

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I want to build a brighter future for our children, and that means making the necessary decisions for the long-term good of our country.” 

The proposals currently under consultation include: 

• Making it a criminal offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009;

• Restricting vaping flavors and descriptions so they no longer target children — while ensuring the approach continues to support adult smokers switching to vaping products;

• Regulating point-of-sale displays in retail stores so vaping products are kept out of children’s sight and away from products that appeal to them, such as candy; 

• Considering restrictions on the sale of disposable vaping devices, which are clearly linked to the rise in youth vaping. These products are not only attractive to children but also extremely harmful to the environment;

• Regulating vaping product packaging and product displays to ensure that neither the device nor its packaging is targeted at children; 

• Exploring further restrictions on non-nicotine vaping products and other nicotine consumer products, such as nicotine pouches; 

• Exploring whether raising the price of vaping products would reduce youth vaping rates; 

• Giving local authorities new powers to issue on-the-spot fines (fixed penalty notices) to enforce age-of-sale legislation for tobacco products and vaping products.