The Case Against the U.K. Smoking Ban

"The sweeping ban on smoking that the U.K. Parliament passed earlier this week, which will permanently prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or thereafter, flagrantly violates the natural human right to bodily autonomy."

"Proponents of the bill...hope to create a rising generation that never starts smoking, and suffers fewer premature deaths. 'Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,' Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated."

"Although the law may reduce smoking, it won't actually yield a smoke-free generation any more than Prohibition yielded a gin-free generation. Black markets for cigarettes will expand."

"At first, it will affect only people ages 17 and younger. But as people born in 2009 become adults, the law will effectively increase the legal smoking age: They'll always be just too young to buy cigarettes. This is age discrimination."

The U.K. Parliament's recent ban on tobacco sales to anyone born in 2009 or later infringes on individual rights. While intended to protect future generations from smoking-related harm, the law is likely to create black markets and does not guarantee a smoke-free generation. The law raises concerns about age discrimination, as it perpetually restricts access to cigarettes for those affected. The intention behind the ban may be good, but its implications could lead to more paternalism and unintended negative outcomes.

Read at The Atlantic