BOTH Houses of the British Parliament have approved a landmark bill that will ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone aged 17 and under for life, in what is being described as a generational shift in public health policy.
AFP reported on Wednesday that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to ensure that individuals born on or after 1 January 2009, who are currently aged 17, will never be legally able to purchase cigarettes or other tobacco products in the United Kingdom.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed the legislation as a defining moment for public health, citing it as: “A historic moment for the nation’s health” that will create “the first smoke-free generation, protected from addiction and lifelong harm.”
Once it receives royal assent, the law will also grant the government expanded powers to extend smoking restrictions beyond indoor spaces, including outdoor areas such as children’s playgrounds and zones outside schools and hospitals.
The legislation further includes provisions allowing tighter regulation of vape products, including restrictions on flavours and packaging, as well as bans on vaping in locations where smoking is already prohibited.
The measure forms part of a wider government strategy to strengthen preventative healthcare and reduce long-term pressure on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
Public health organisations have welcomed the move. Hazel Cheeseman, director of the health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), told LBC radio that the bill represents “A decisive turning point for public health.”
The Labour government had already introduced restrictions in June last year on disposable vapes, which are often cheap and sold in brightly coloured packaging and have been widely used among young people.
Internationally, similar generational smoking bans have been attempted. New Zealand became the first country to introduce such legislation in 2022, banning tobacco sales to those born after 2008, although the law was repealed in November 2023 following a change in government.
The Maldives introduced a comparable measure last November, banning cigarette sales to anyone born after 1 January 2007.
According to the NHS, smoking in England causes around 75,000 deaths annually and is responsible for approximately one quarter of all deaths, underscoring the scale of the public health challenge the new law seeks to address. - April 22, 2026
