Wales is banning smoking outside hospitals and schools near playgrounds from next summer, in an attempt to 'de-normalise smoking for young people' and protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.
What it means: The number of people smoking in the UK peaked in 1974, and has been in decline ever since – but the industry remains huge and makes billions of pounds every year.
About 15 percent of people still smoke in the UK – that's 7.6 million, smoking 11 a day on average. 500,000 are admitted to hospital every year for smoking-related issues, costing the NHS about £302 million.
Smoking bans already exist in individual hospitals but they struggle to enforce them – having government backing will help. Generally speaking, the public supports regulations around smoking, from standardising packets to preventing smoking in cars with kids. So unlike some other regulations, aside from a few lobbying groups who'll probably be annoyed (our favourite name: Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco, or FOREST) this is probably one they'll be able to implement without much opposition.
