Smoking, a deadly habit, claims millions of lives worldwide each year, with lung cancer being a leading cause of tobacco-related deaths. In a groundbreaking move to combat this epidemic, researchers propose banning tobacco sales to individuals born between 2006 and 2010.
A pioneering modelling study revealed that this restriction could prevent approximately 1.2 million lung cancer deaths by the end of the century, paving the way for a healthier future.
According to the World Health Organisation, smoking is responsible for roughly 85 per cent of all cases of lung cancer.
WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) revealed that there will be nearly three million lung cancer deaths among people born from 2006 to 2010 if the current trends continue.
The modelling study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal, is the first of its kind aiming to assess the impact of a tobacco-free generation. Data about cancer cases and deaths from 185 countries were assessed for the study.
If tobacco sales were banned for these 650 million people, around 1.2 million deaths could be prevented by 2095, revealed the study.
The research also found that over 45 per cent of lung cancer deaths among men and nearly 31 per cent among women could be prevented.
"This difference is linked to the tobacco industry's gender-targeted marketing over the past few decades," IARC researcher and study co-author Isabelle Soerjomataram said in a statement.
The study also cautioned that the "deaths that we estimated could not be prevented...due to other risk factors associated with lung cancer," such as air pollution or exposure to second-hand smoke.
In countries like New Zealand, Australia and the United States, tobacco-free generation initiatives have already begun.
In 2022, New Zealand became the first country to ban cigarette sales to people born after 2008. In the UK, the new Labour government has been supportive of banning cigarette sales ban to anyone after January 2009.
However, other than tobacco-free generation policies, imposing taxes on cigarettes and bringing more smoke-free environments were suggested by experts.