25/3 "UK Edges Toward a Smoke-Free Future"

The UK has moved a step closer to banning future generations from smoking after lawmakers voted in favor of a new bill in parliament. Cancer charities have been calling for the UK government to take action, especially after a study was released in October suggesting that 350 young people take up(~을 시작하다) smoking every day. Cancer Research UK said that at the current rate, almost 300,000 British residents could be diagnosed with cancers caused by smoking in the next five years. And it's not just smokers who are affected. Cancer Research UK estimates that more than 2,800 British cancer cases between now and 2029 could be caused by people being exposed to secondhand smoke. The bill still needs to pass through further stages before it becomes law. If it succeeds, the UK will be the first country to fully ban smoking — over time. In theory, anyone born after January 1, 2009, would never be allowed to legally smoke. The government said it would put the country back on track(다시 정상 궤도에 들어선) to become smoke free, breaking cycles of addiction and easing pressure on the National Health Service. New Zealand had been due to enact a similar law, but this was repealed after the country elected a new governing party in October 2023. Other countries have moved to make it harder for people to take up smoking. Many places have increased taxes on cigarettes and banned people from smoking in some public areas. Already, fewer people in the UK are smoking than ever before. About 12% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2023, down from over 20% in 2011. But experts say that's still too many. "Tobacco kills up to two-thirds of its users," said Ian Walker from Cancer Research UK. However, not all lawmakers voted in favor of(~에 찬성하여) the bill when it was discussed in parliament at the end of November. Conservative politician Robert Jenrick was one of those people. Writing on X, he said: "Educate more, ban less." He suggested that people should be allowed to make their own decisions, instead of being told what to do by the government.

발행일 2025-03-01

reporter : Martin Seo