Forest Smoking Director Simon Clark has hit out at Labour for their "nanny state" vaping law.
This comes as it has been announced that single-use vapes will be banned from June 2025.
The Government's decision to ban single-use vapes from June 2025 comes amid growing environmental concerns and a youth vaping epidemic.
Speaking to GB News, Clark said: "If you are an adult and you choose to smoke or vape, it's entirely up to you.
"It's got nothing whatsoever to do with Government. Now, clearly, Government has a role to play, educating people about the risks of smoking and the relative risks of of vaping, which are much, much less than smoking.
"Let's not forget, the point is that once you are 18, you are entitled to make those types of decisions for yourself.
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"If you can join the Army at 18, if you can purchase alcohol, possess a credit card, and of course do all sorts of other things.
"At the age of 18, when you're an adult, you should be allowed to choose to purchase tobacco if that's what you want to do."
GB News host Matt Goodwin asked: "Why on Earth are we talking about banning smoking and a nanny state again? I mean, just to help us figure our way through this."
"Unfortunately, the anti-smoking lobby, which is, of course, part of the public health industry is very powerful at the moment.
"They have a lot of people in power in the Department of Health. I think there's a big battle going on at the moment between the Department of Health and other departments and Government over this business of banning smoking in beer gardens.
"Anybody with the slightest knowledge of the hospitality industry knows that if you ban smoking in beer gardens, then you're going to affect a lot of small businesses.
"You might push many of them over the edge and out of business. So a smoking ban in pub gardens would be absolutely fatal for many pubs.
The Government plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to create a "smoke-free generation" by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be purchased.
The bill also seeks to impose restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes to children.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised to make this bill "more ambitious" than the previous Conservative version.
The ban on disposable vapes is set to take effect from 1 June 2025, giving businesses time to adapt.
However, concerns remain about potential black market risks and the effectiveness of the ban in curbing youth vaping.
Find Out More...
This comes as it has been announced that single-use vapes will be banned from June 2025.
The Government's decision to ban single-use vapes from June 2025 comes amid growing environmental concerns and a youth vaping epidemic.
Speaking to GB News, Clark said: "If you are an adult and you choose to smoke or vape, it's entirely up to you.
"It's got nothing whatsoever to do with Government. Now, clearly, Government has a role to play, educating people about the risks of smoking and the relative risks of of vaping, which are much, much less than smoking.
"Let's not forget, the point is that once you are 18, you are entitled to make those types of decisions for yourself.
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"If you can join the Army at 18, if you can purchase alcohol, possess a credit card, and of course do all sorts of other things.
"At the age of 18, when you're an adult, you should be allowed to choose to purchase tobacco if that's what you want to do."
GB News host Matt Goodwin asked: "Why on Earth are we talking about banning smoking and a nanny state again? I mean, just to help us figure our way through this."
"Unfortunately, the anti-smoking lobby, which is, of course, part of the public health industry is very powerful at the moment.
"They have a lot of people in power in the Department of Health. I think there's a big battle going on at the moment between the Department of Health and other departments and Government over this business of banning smoking in beer gardens.
"Anybody with the slightest knowledge of the hospitality industry knows that if you ban smoking in beer gardens, then you're going to affect a lot of small businesses.
"You might push many of them over the edge and out of business. So a smoking ban in pub gardens would be absolutely fatal for many pubs.
The Government plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to create a "smoke-free generation" by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be purchased.
The bill also seeks to impose restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes to children.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised to make this bill "more ambitious" than the previous Conservative version.
The ban on disposable vapes is set to take effect from 1 June 2025, giving businesses time to adapt.
However, concerns remain about potential black market risks and the effectiveness of the ban in curbing youth vaping.
Find Out More...