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UK children aged 17 or under, and anyone born in the future, will no longer be able to legally buy cigarettes after British lawmakers on Tuesday approved tough new restrictions on smoking.
Those born after December 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
The law, which is due to receive royal assent next week, also tightens controls on vaping, including banning the sale of vaping and nicotine products to under-18s and restricting advertising, displays, free distribution and discounting.
“The end of smoking, and the serious harm it causes, is no longer certain – it is inevitable,” said Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of the public health group Action on Smoking and Health, after a decades-long campaign in favor of the law.
It is currently illegal in the UK to sell tobacco, tobacco products or vapes to people under the age of 18. But most young people today will continue to be banned for the rest of their lives as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.
A new law in the United Kingdom will ban the purchase of cigarettes and vaping products for anyone born on Jan. 1, 2009 or later, which means that the affected age groups face a lifetime ban. The law is expected to receive royal assent next week.
The UK government says the measures will help reduce smoking and prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine, reducing long-term pressure on the National Health Service (NHS).
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the approval of this bill is a historic moment in the health of the country.
“UK children will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from addiction and harm for life,” he said. “Prevention is better than cure – this change will save lives, reduce pressure on the NHS and build a healthier Britain.”
The episode gives the UK one of the strongest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, which was then repealed by the next government.
The number of smokers in Britain has fallen by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people – or around 13 per cent of the population – still smoke, according to official figures.
Authorities say smoking causes around 80,000 deaths a year in the UK, and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health.
Strict rules on vaping
Vaping has become a major focus of British policymakers, particularly due to concerns about youth consumption and nicotine addiction. The government banned the sale of disposable vapes last year due to concerns about youth use and environmental damage.
The new law will strengthen those laws, with ministers gaining the power to regulate the flavor and packaging of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products through a second law.
Around 10 per cent of adults in Great Britain – an estimated 5.5 million people – use vapes, according to the health organization Action on Smoking and Health, with rates unchanged from 2024, suggesting growth has started to pick up.
About half of people who use vape are former smokers, while about 40 percent continue to smoke alongside vaping, the charity said.
