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UK Looking to Phase Out Legal Sale of Tobacco. On March 20, the British government introduced a bill to begin phasing out smoking among young people, banning the sale of tobacco for future generations. If approved by parliament, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would become one of the toughest anti-tobacco laws in the world. Fox News reports that the bill looks to prevent children turning 15 this year and younger from ever being legally able to purchase tobacco. According to the government, the act of smoking would not be criminalized, meaning that anyone currently able to legally obtain tobacco would be allowed to continue smoking in the future. ”If we want to build a better future for our children we need to tackle the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death: smoking.", Rishi Sunak, Conservative Prime Minister, via Fox News. According to the British government, smoking costs the nation an estimated $21.63 billion every year. The proposed legislation also includes restrictions on vape flavors and packaging intentionally marketed toward children. The new legislation reportedly comes amid a sharp increase in vape usage by young people in the U.K. In February, similar legislation in New Zealand was introduced, looking to ban tobacco sales to anyone born after January 1, 2009. That bill was repealed by New Zealand's new coalition government. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT