The Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent yesterday (April 29), making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
The legislation means today’s children will never legally be sold cigarettes, aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage that has persisted for decades.
The age of sale of tobacco, currently 18, will rise by one year, every year, from 2027.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “This legislation marks a turning point for the nation’s health. By ending the cycle of tobacco addiction for future generations, we are taking one of the boldest steps in decades to prevent illness before it even begins.
“For too long, smoking has claimed lives, widened inequalities and placed avoidable pressure on our health services. This law changes that trajectory – protecting young people from ever starting, while backing current smokers with the support they need to quit for good.
“A smoke-free generation is now within reach, and this government is determined to deliver a healthier, fairer future for everyone.”
Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death, responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the UK, and is a major driver of cancer, heart disease and stroke. It also places a significant burden on the NHS and wider economy.
The new law also helps tackles the challenge of youth vaping. The act includes measures to ban the advertising and sponsorship of vapes and nicotine products, as well as powers to restrict their packaging, branding and displays that are designed to appeal to children.
It also gives powers to strengthen smoke-free protections in certain public places.
Cancer Research UK estimates more than 1.8 million children growing up in the South East today – and around 13 million nationwide – will never be legally sold tobacco in the UK.
In the past decade alone, smoking has been responsible for around 70,000 cancer cases in the South East and around 47,000 people in the region have lost their lives to cancer caused by tobacco.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive officer at Cancer Research UK said: “This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children will grow up shielded from the lifelong harms of tobacco.
“It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already over stretched health service.”
To find out more visit cruk.org/smokefreegen
Meanwhile, every town reeks of dope!
Covers the smell of desperation…
so those children when they are in their 30s still wont legally be able to buy them, what a load of tosh, i doubt many shops are going to be enforcing or giving a crap about this
In that case a total ban should be imposed.
The new law also helps tackles the challenge of youth vaping. The act includes measures to ban the advertising and sponsorship of vapes and nicotine products, as well as powers to restrict their packaging, branding and displays that are designed to appeal to children.
10-15 years too late-they have been allowed to put them in bright packaging like sweets, chocolate & fizzy drinks to attract them & hook them.
Nobody knows how dangerous the vapes are-because there has been no serious testing done on the potential side-effects & the tobacco industry of course quickly bought out the original makers once they saw how big they were selling-knowing that this was the new big product to replace their cigarettes for the next generation & marketed to young people as always to get them hooked as early as possible. While like Coca-Cola marketing cigarettes hard in poor nations with corrupt governments & of course still having those hooked on them for decades in the west, that will pay the now premium price to get their fix.
What am opportunity for organised crime!
This is what one gets with a Parliament full of those barely out of nappies, who have never studied the consequences of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“People are not born stupid. They are born ignorant. It is education that makes them stupid”.
Bertrand Russell (a famous 20th century left of centre philosopher)
“What am opportunity for organised crime!”
Don’t take one of the UK’s last remaining growth industries…
Yes
The average age of MPs elected at the 2024 general election was estimated at 48. Parliament does have some younger MPs, but it is not “full” of people barely out of nappies.
“who have never studied the consequences of the 18th Amendment”
The 18th Amendment brought in alcohol prohibition in the United States. The UK tobacco law is not the same kind of ban. It does not ban everyone from smoking, buying, possessing or using tobacco. It bans the legal sale of tobacco to future age cohorts, starting with people born on or after 1 January 2009. There may still be black-market risks, but comparing it directly to US alcohol prohibition overstates the case.
Who will be the next Al Capone?
A law which will be totally ignored. I speak as someone who has never smoked. The bigger issue I feel is once people ignore this law, they then ignore some other laws and that builds into a society where people choose which laws to obey. We see that with car insurance, which has become an option only now with a lot of people.
Stop blaming the government please. Making cigarettes illegal will end smoking very soon.
Just like it put an end to the use of weed, xtc, cocaine, etc. Didn’t you know that?