The United Kingdom government on Tuesday, introduced a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill in parliament, aiming to prevent future generations from smoking.
This “world-leading” law, championed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, seeks to create the UK’s first “smoke-free generation” by gradually raising the legal age to buy cigarettes. Under this law, anyone born after January 1, 2009, will never be able to purchase cigarettes legally.
“This is a groundbreaking piece of public health legislation,” said Streeting. “So children growing up in our country today will never, never legally be able to buy cigarettes.”
The bill, inspired by a similar law that New Zealand considered but later abandoned, marks the UK’s commitment to tackling smoking-related health issues. The law is part of the Labour government’s broader goal to improve preventive health measures and reduce long-term strain on the National Health Service.
In addition to restricting cigarette sales, the bill also tightens regulations on vaping. It proposes limits on vape advertising, sponsorship, flavors, packaging, and displays to curb the appeal of e-cigarettes to young people. The bill also seeks to ban the manufacture and sale of oral tobacco products like snus, aligning the UK with European countries on this measure.
The law will also expand existing smoking bans to include outdoor areas such as children’s playgrounds and hospital entrances. However, Streeting clarified that there would be no ban on smoking in pub gardens, despite industry concerns over potential customer loss.
“The UK hospitality sector has taken a battering in recent years,” said Streeting. “We’re not proposing to go ahead with an outdoor hospitality ban at this time.”
CEO of Action on Smoking and Health, Hazel Cheeseman, praised the bill as “world-leading” and highlighted the long-term toll smoking has taken on the UK. “Smoking has taken more than eight million lives in the UK over the past 50 years,” she said. “This bill opens up an important debate about smoking and how long we are prepared to tolerate the incredible harms it does to our society.”
The new Tobacco and Vapes Bill follows other tobacco control measures, including a planned ban on disposable vapes set for next year.
