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The UK plans to ban the sale of tobacco products for life to citizens born on or after January 1, 2009. The corresponding document has already been passed by Parliament and is expected to be signed by King Charles III next week, TengriHealth reports, citing DW.
According to the new rules, residents of the country born after 2008 will be unable to purchase not only tobacco products but also vaping products.
The document also provides for stricter requirements for information on tobacco products and electronic smoking devices. Furthermore, it regulates their advertising and promotion, and establishes additional provisions for smoke-free zones.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated that children will be part of the first generation to be smoke-free and protected from lifelong addiction and harm. He asserted that prevention is more effective than cure, and the new reform will save lives, reduce the burden on the healthcare system, and improve the overall health of the country's population.
Smoking is responsible for approximately 64,000 deaths and 400,000 hospitalizations annually in the UK, costing the National Health Service approximately €3.4 billion annually.
Earlier, in 2025, the country's government banned the sale of disposable vaping devices, citing concerns about their popularity among young people and their negative impact on the environment.
