the WHO wants to protect children from industrial marketing and the United Kingdom wants to ban them from sales for life

Since 1987, World No Tobacco Day has been held every May 31. Every year, eight million people die from this product, including more than a million passive smokers. An illness that strikes younger and younger people.

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Friday May 31, the WHO warns about practices “scandalous” manufacturers to get children into tobacco. In the electronic cigarette, especially, and all its derivatives: puff, pouches, snus… These are all products with nicotine, intended to replace cigarettes to stop smoking.

This has been the big trend for years among manufacturers, who publicly affirm that the “cig” is a thing of the past, that we must develop less harmful, smoke-free products. The boss of Philip Morris even went so far as to say that a world without cigarettes is “at hand”. So much for the official speech. The reality, explains the WHO, is that large groups do not intend to let go of the goose that lays the golden eggs so easily. We still have little perspective on the use of electronic cigarettes, but studies already show that far from making people stop using conventional cigarettes, it would triple the risk of getting into them, especially among young people.

In France, tobacco companies are not allowed to advertise, which has been banned for several years, but this is not the case in all countries and we forget that everything now happens online. On networks, 85% of young people are exposed to advertisements for products with nicotine or tobacco when they are on their applications. And this is not the only tactic of the major tobacco groups, explains Doctor Rüediger Krech, in charge of the fight against tobacco at the WHO: “Manufacturers give away free samples at sporting events and concerts. They pay influencers. They do product placement on streaming services. They have partnerships with meal delivery services, so you can receive your electronic cigarettes directly to your home.” Another proof of this relentless marketing, denounces the doctor: “There are more than 16 000 flavors on the market, such as Bubble gum, vanilla ice cream, cookie. These flavors are intended for children. We are calling on governments to ban them.”

The packaging is also quite confusing. Garish, flashy colors that make you think you’re buying a packet of candy more than a packet of nicotine. In some countries, we even use the image of manga characters or football players to promote the merits of a product. This does not mean that it is not impossible to quit smoking using electronic cigarettes, but the opposite is more likely. Today, it is estimated that more children than adults vape.

The Conservative government has made the fight against smoking one of its priorities. Today, 6.4 million Britons smoke, around 13% of the population. This is half as much as in France, but it is still the leading cause of preventable mortality in the United Kingdom. Smoking is responsible for 80,000 deaths per year and 470,000 illnesses, according to the government.

This is very expensive for the NHS, the British public health system. It is now estimated that smoking and its consequences cost 20 billion euros per year. A law was therefore passed on April 16, 2024, to gradually completely ban smoking. The law provides that all those born after January 1, 2009 are refused the purchase of tobacco upon reaching the age of majority, for the rest of their lives. The measure was carried by the Prime Minister himself, Rishi Sunak and on first reading, the “for” side won with 383 votes. Note that before the United Kingdom, New Zealand had passed similar provisions, before giving up due to the difficulty of implementing them.

This measure divides the population, even among the majority, since certain conservative deputies have described the law as “liberticide”. The 67 deputies who voted against this text are almost all conservatives. In the streets of London, the limitation of freedom is not unanimous either: “It’s a fundamentally illiberal law and I hate the rhetoric that explains that it’s to protect children,” protests one woman. “Children can’t buy cigarettes anyway. It’s prohibition.” Others, however, find that “if we can prevent the new generation from smoking, it’s a good thing, the new generation is also for this change”.

But imagining the United Kingdom becoming a non-smoking country is not guaranteed. It is not yet certain that this measure will pass. Rishi Sunak called a snap general election on July 4, 2024, Parliament was dissolved and the anti-smoking law is not one of the latest laws promulgated somewhat urgently. The project could once again be put to a vote if the conservatives are re-elected in July. But the polls are not good for the conservative majority, largely losing. The trend predicts a Labor tide, the Labor Party led by Keir Starmer has said it is in favor of this law. So the idea of ​​a tobacco-free British generation could well make a comeback.