Britain aims to raise a \u201csmoke-free generation\u201d by permanently banning the sale or supply of tobacco and vape products to anyone born in 2009 or after, with a bill that was approved by Parliament on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime. The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers say that in practice, the measure means the age of sale for tobacco products will rise over time as the targeted demographic group grows older and could lead to a smoke-free society. The law will apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
The people covered by the law will be \u201cpart of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,\u201d said Wes Streeting, the health secretary<\/a>, on Tuesday. \u201cPrevention is better than cure.\u201d <\/p>\n The legislation includes new licensing and registration requirements for retailers and adds product information mandates, advertising and promotion controls, and further restrictions on smoking and vaping in public places. It hopes to block the use of tobacco products, describing them as \u201cthe main underlying drivers of ill-health<\/a>,\u201d and to reduce the pressure on Britain\u2019s publicly funded health care system from smoking-related illnesses.<\/p>\n The bill, first proposed in 2024, is among the few generational smoking bans to have gained traction worldwide. Last year, a law banning tobacco for anyone born in 2007 or later went into effect<\/a> in the Maldives.<\/p>\n New Zealand enacted the world\u2019s first generational smoking ban in 2022. It was lauded by public health officials and criticized by retailers and the tobacco industry, and was abolished the next year under a new government.<\/p>\n