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<p>Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and
causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion
a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.</p><p>Vaping is rightly
used by adults as a tool to quit smoking as they are substantially less harmful than
cigarettes. However, the Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping
among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five
children having now used a vape.</p><p>Whilst New Zealand plan to repeal their legislation,
the Government is still planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward
legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never
be legally sold tobacco products, and further crack down on youth vaping by consulting
on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. On 12 October
2023, we launched a UK-wide consultation to gather views on these proposals and their
implementation.</p>
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