UK passes bill that will eventually ban cigarette purchases
The British Parliament has passed a bill aimed at making cigarettes inaccessible to future generations in the United Kingdom. Children born after December 31, 2008 will never be able to buy cigarettes under the new Tobacco and Vape Bill.
LONDON — Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air when Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of the reach of future generations.
“The end of smoking and the devastating harm it causes are no longer uncertain, they are inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign for legislation approved Tuesday.
Children born after December 31, 2008 will no longer be able to buy cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
The legislation which must be approved by King Charles III – a formality – before coming into force will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.
It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to anyone under the age of 18. But most of today’s young people will continue to face a lifelong ban as the minimum age to buy cigarettes increases every year.
This passage gives the UK one of the strictest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one passed by New Zealand lawmakers in 2022, but which was later repealed by a subsequent government.
The number of smokers in Britain has fallen by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people – or around 13% of the population – still smoke, according to official figures.
Authorities say smoking is responsible for some 80,000 deaths a year in the UK and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health.
“The UK’s children will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.
