U.K. the latest country looking to phase out smoking. Should Canada do the same?

Approximately eight million people die from smoking tobacco each year, the World Health Organization says, with 48,000 Canadian deaths each year, according to Health Canada.

With the United Kingdom the latest country to propose banning younger generations from ever buying cigarettes, some say it’s something Canada should consider, but it cannot be the only measure taken to effectively combat smoking and tobacco use.

Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced planned legislation that would see the smoking age rise by one year, every year, with the goal of potentially phasing out smoking among young people almost completely as soon as 2040.

If passed, the U.K. would be the first country in Europe to join New Zealand in banning smoking for future generations. Academics have said increases in the smoking age have successfully reduced smoking rates among young people globally.

Rob Cunningham with the Canadian Cancer Society, which lobbies federally for better research, health care and protections, said such a move needs to be one piece of a multi-step plan.

“The approaches of the United Kingdom and New Zealand are innovative. The overwhelming majority of smokers began as underage youth; it’s something we can implement in Canada,” he said.

But it can’t end there, Cunningham said: “It’s not going to be one measure, we need multiple measures.”

Geoffrey Fong, a University of Waterloo professor of psychology and public health sciences, agrees that multiple measures should be taken and the “smoke-free generation” option is one. However, he pointed to New Zealand’s “extraordinary” smoke-free plan, which includes targeting nicotine.

New Zealand’s legislation bans sales of cigarettes to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, with a yearly increase to the smoking age. That legislation also means that by 2050, 40-year-olds would be too young to buy cigarettes.