Social policy and welfare law

Running head : Social Policy and Welfare Law

Health Minister 's Proposals to Crackdown on Teenage Smoking

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Abstract

Smoking is without a doubt a dangerous and potentially fatal habit Research has proven that smoking is the greatest cause of death in developed countries . A number of factors influence a teenager 's decision to begin smoking and then they become addicted to it . The overall rate of smoking in children aged 11-15 years in UK has been 9 in the past four years . The sale of tobacco to children under 16 has

been illegal since 1908 . On July 3 , 2006 the Minister of State of Public Health Caroline Flint has proposed increase in legal age for smoking accompanied by tougher sanctions against vendors selling cigarettes to underage teens . The success of these proposed actions depends on the manner of their implementation . This essay will also scrutinize the social policy of the UK government , analyzing likely barriers in its implementation

Social Policy and Welfare Law of UK

Smoking is the greatest cause of death through out the world . It poses a big risk , especially among those who start smoking in their teenage years . If they keep smoking steadily , about half will eventually be killed by tobacco in which about one quarter will die in old age and one quarter in middle age . Those killed by tobacco in middle age i .e . 35 to 69 years age , lose an average of 20 to 25 years on nonsmoker life expectancy . The earlier one starts smoking the less likely he or she is to give up . In 1993 , the cigarette industry in UK spent ?100 million on advertisement and other promotional activities while the government spent only ?10 million on anti-smoking measures . The tax revenue from cigarette sales to under 16 year olds was ?108 million per year . Smoking is the greatest cause of premature death in the UK , killing around 106 ,000 people a year

Realizing the gravity of the situation , the Minister of State of Public Health , Caroline Flint , announced proposals to reduce teenage smoking on July 3 , 2006 . In this these proposals are discussed and their likely impact is evaluated . In the beginning hazards of teenage smoking is discussed followed by the situation in UK . Then an overview of the current legislative scenario is given , after which the new proposals for crackdown on teenage smoking are discussed . Before concluding few other social policies concerning young people will be scrutinized

Hazards of Teenage Smoking

The motivations for teenage smoking include peer pressure advertisement , imitating parents , boredom , the need to experiment , and self-image . All these factors influence an adolescent 's decision to begin smoking and then they continue smoking because cigarettes are highly addictive

Other than the longer-term effects of smoking some specific problems are related to young smokers . Infertility in female smokers is two to three times higher than in non-smokers , brain haemorrhage is six times higher in young smokers than young non-smokers

Asthma is greatly worsened by cigarette smoking and smoke...