Britain's parliament has approved a bill to ban those aged 17 and under from ever legally buying tobacco products during their lifetime. The UK will be the second country in the world to implement such a measure.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill legally bars anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 from buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in the UK, even after they become adults.
The law hands the government new powers to restrict the flavours and packaging of vapes and bans vaping in places where smoking is already banned, including children's playgrounds and areas near schools.
The UK had around 5.3 million adult smokers in 2024, nearly 10 percent of the population, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The law will apply once the bill gets royal assent, with the ban on sales to young people born after 2008 beginning on January 1, 2027.
Smokers themselves will not be penalised, but any retailer who sells tobacco or related products to a person born after 2008 will be liable for a fixed fine of £200.
