Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to outlaw smoking in the United Kingdom. The government’s efforts to reduce the number of smoking-related deaths and create a “smoke-free generation” have received support from MPs in a vote.
Rather than the act of smoking itself, the limitations will only apply to the selling of cigarettes in the United Kingdom. The existing legal age of 18 to purchase cigarettes will rise by one year per year under the new rule.
This effectively creates a ban on cigarettes since it means that anyone born in or after 2009 will never be allowed to purchase them lawfully. Those who can already purchase cigarettes will not be impacted by the law.
The government says that to curb sales to minors, stores in England and Wales that sell tobacco and e-cigarettes to minors will be subject to an instant £100 fine. The money raised will be kept by the local government to be used again for police enforcement.
This is in addition to the £2,500 in fines that judges are already able to impose.
According to the government, it would invest £30 million in enforcement, part of which will go toward addressing the black market’s access to smoke.
The new regulations will be implemented in all duty-free stores in the UK; however, those who purchase cigarettes overseas may return them to the UK provided that they were obtained lawfully elsewhere. By 2027, the government hopes to have the new system operational. To introduce the legislation throughout the UK, Mr. Sunak wishes to collaborate with the governments of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
When cigarettes burn, thousands of distinct chemicals are released, such as ammonia, lead, and carbon monoxide. Tobacco has several toxic ingredients, of which up to 70 can be carcinogenic. In addition, smoking has been related to heart disease, strokes, and lung conditions.
According to the government, it continues to be the leading preventable cause of illness, death, and disability in the UK, accounting for almost 80,000 deaths annually and spending an estimated £17 billion on the NHS and the economy.
By the end of the century, the government estimates that a “smoke-free generation” might avert approximately 470,000 cases of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill also attempts to address youth vaping among non-smokers. While it carries some risks, vaping is not as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Health experts concur that vaping is not something that anyone who does not currently smoke should do.
Pediatricians caution that vaping could harm children’s hearts, brains, and lungs in the long run. The effects of vaping are still unclear because it is a relatively new practice, but according to the NHS, it is “unlikely to be harmless”.
As early as April 2025, the government intends to outlaw disposable vaporizers in England, with intentions to expand this prohibition throughout the United Kingdom.
To make nicotine vapes less appealing to kids, restrictions will also be placed on their flavors, contents, and packaging. Vapers will be subject to a new tax starting in October 2026. Children will not be allowed to use nicotine packets or other vaping alternatives.
The percentage of older kids who smoke is still considerable; in England, over 12% of 16 to 17-year-olds smoke. While fewer people between the ages of 11 and 17 smoke cigarettes now than ten years ago, vaping has become more and more popular among this demographic, with disposable vapes being the most widely used variety.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that in 2022, 6.4 million adults in the UK who are 18 years of age or older—or 12.9% of the population—smoked cigarettes. Since records have been kept, this is the lowest percentage of smokers currently in existence.
The proportion of smokers is highest among individuals aged 25 to 34, and lowest among those 65 and older. Wales had the greatest percentage of current smokers among the UK’s states, while England had the lowest.
The anti-smoking charity Ash claims that some customers may have been persuaded to cut back on their tobacco use or give it up completely by periodic hikes in tobacco taxes. The COVID epidemic has stopped the smoking drop, according to a study.
A New Zealand strategy is said to have served as the model for the UK’s approach.
The former administration of the nation intended to outlaw the purchase of cigarettes or other tobacco products by anyone born after 2008.
However, the current government declared in November 2023 that it will repeal the law in order to finance tax cuts.
Mexico has some of the most stringent anti-smoking laws in the world, which forbid smoking in parks, beaches, and sometimes even private residences.
Portugal hopes to enact legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco products in pubs, cafes, and gas stations to create a “smoke-free generation” by 2040.
By 2035, Canada wants to have less than 5% of its population smoke tobacco. Earlier this year, it became the first nation to mandate the printing of health warnings on individual cigarettes.
