UK Parliament has approved a bill that imposes a lifetime ban to anyone under 18 years old from buying tobacco, as well as tightening restrictions on vaping products and advertisement, with the hope of completely eliminate smoking in future generations.
In the long run, if the law stays long enough, nobody would be able to buy tobacco in the United Kingdom: people born on or before December 31, 2008 will never be allowed to buy tobacco. The law effectively means that the minimum age for buying tobacco, currently 18 years old, will raise year after year.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was approved by the House of Lords of the UK Parliament on Tuesday and will become law next week when it passes the Royal assent, a formality. It should enter into play next year. The proposal was first introduced in November 2024 and intends to create the first "smoke-free generation. "Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm" said the Secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting. "Prevention is better than cure - this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain."
The law has been well received specially be Health agencies or the Cancer Research Centre, who said this will reduce the number of deaths, but has been criticised by the opposition: Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said that he will eliminate the law if he is elected in the 2029 elections.
