SLMA proposal to ban sale of tobacco to post-2010 births

Coinciding with the World No-Tobacco Day last week, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) issued a statement, calling policymakers to create a tobacco-free generation by completely banning the sale of tobacco to children who were born after 2010 when they reach the legally permitted age to smoke – 21. 

The premier professional medical association in the island would have been influenced by the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill – which prohibits the sale of tobacco products to the UK citizens, who were born on or after 1 January, 2009. However, the said bill does not ban the aforementioned group in the UK from smoking although it prevents them from buying tobacco products. Such a scenario would not create a tobacco-free generation in the European State as the said generation can access tobacco products through those who were born prior to 2009. Similar to the measure in the UK, the SLMA only proposes to ban the sale of tobacco to a particular age group and it does not advocate barring Sri Lankans who were born after 2010 from having a smoke.

Like in the UK, the Government of New Zealand – led by the former Premier Jacinda Arden of the South Pacific nation’s Labour Party – tried to introduce the world’s first smoking ban for future generations in 2022 by legislative action. The pioneering legislation proposed several measures to make smoking less affordable and accessible. It also included considerably reducing the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products, allowing their sale only through special tobacco stores, and slashing the number of stores legally allowed to sell cigarettes from 6,000 to just 600 countrywide. However, before the changes came into force, New Zealand’s rightwing coalition led by the island state’s National Party – which came into power in 2023 under the leadership of the incumbent Kiwi premier Christopher Luxon – rescinded the piece of law which aimed to achieve a substantial reduction in smoking. 

As part of the reversal, the Centre-Right political dispensation removed the requirements for de-nicotisation apart from overturning the reduction in retail outlets as well as the generational ban. The Luxon-led administration argued that implementation of their predecessors’ policy would have created a hidden tobacco market. Moreover, the rightwing Kiwi government could not afford to forego revenue from cigarettes as they wanted to go ahead with politically popular tax cuts.

Worldwide, Centre-Right/Conservative political parties are perceived as being sympathetic towards the tobacco industry as they tend to prioritise money and commerce over health considerations. In fact, many observers had attributed New Zealand’s current rightwing coalition Government’s reversal of anti-tobacco measures to the influence of the tobacco industry in the Commonwealth member state. But in the UK, it was the Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who took the initiative to phase out smoking in the UK. Nevertheless, as the country went for an election last year, the Act was not passed. Hence, the current Labour government which succeeded Sunak’s administration went ahead with finalising the legislation.

Be that as it may, is it reasonable to contemplate a generational smoking ban for a society like Sri Lanka when even an OECD member like New Zealand is showing reluctance to embrace such extreme measures? Although, it is illegal to sell cigarettes to individuals who are under the age of 21 in this country, the age restriction has become meaningless as retailers do not check the age of those who buy tobacco sticks from them. Therefore, even if a sales ban on a particular age group is introduced, it is highly unlikely that it would be effectively implemented. The empirical evidence demonstrates that sales bans of products that are highly sought after only result in creating thriving black markets. For instance, the Bhutanese Government led by Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, a qualified doctor, in 2020 lifted the then 10-year-old ban on tobacco sales in his country to reduce the demand for smuggled cigarettes. 

The SLMA is best adviced to pursue a more pragmatic approach.