Delegates at the British Medical Association (BMA) annual conference voted in favour of a motion to prohibit smoking to anyone born after 2000.
Public health doctor Dr Tim Crocker-Buque said it was essential to protect the young as 80% of smokers took up the habit when they were teenagers and "almost all" had taken up the habit by the time they were in their early 20s.
He said introducing the legislation would help to "denormalise" smoking, adding: "It is time to play the tobacco end game."
Dr Stephen Watkins, a public health specialist and member of the BMA's council - its governing body - backed the idea, saying it made no sense to allow smoking and ban drugs such as heroin.
But Dr Yohanna Takwoingi, an ear, nose and throat specialist from the West Midlands, spoke out against the motion at the conference in Harrogate.
He said: "It is a headline grabbing initiative that would bring ridicule to the profession."
He added it would only encourage young people to take up smoking as it would become a "forbidden fruit".
I'm not sure how they would actually enforce this but it was more the comments from those reading the article that made me think:
The illegality of drugs doesn't stop people from taking them but does create a huge criminal underworld. I bet the organised crime gangs are rubbing their hands in glee at this idea. Plus smoking causes less damage to society than alcohol, which would surely be next on the list to ban
So doctors say this thing; I have this to say about them setting a health example: Anyone working for the NHS should have a BMI in the normal range or suffer a reduction in salary until they have slimmed down. How can all of the huge nurses be setting a good example for the children? It normalises being fat. The fat must go from the NHS!
Ha ha ha haaaa, so all that generation will be hit by a massive tax hike to make up for the short fall that smokers bring in. Genius, you couldnt make this up, these interfering busy bodies. Why dont they ban driving for everybody born after 2000 too, lates face it, polution from cars does infinately more damage!
Yeah, prohibition has worked so well across so many different drugs....I thought doctors where supposed to be intelligent. I understand the ideology of course, but ideology is far far away from reality. People have the right to make their choice, you have the right to make yours.No good comes from imposing your sensibilities upon those who have a different view....its called oppression.
And the most obvious one:
Given that the legal age for anyone to smoke is 18 in the UK, it is already banned for anyone born in the 21st century. How do they intend to enforce this? Video tag everybody as soon as they come of age? Given that the BMA is the trade organisation for doctors and medical students it frightens me to see such stupidity in print.
Who do you agree with on this?
People eating and drinking on the go
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