UK Approves Lifelong Ban on Smoking for People Born After 2008

Teenagers turning 18 in Britain will no longer be able to buy a pack of cigarettes following new legislation aimed at implementing a generational smoking ban. Lawmakers approved a bill that makes it illegal for shops to sell tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009, Reuters reported. The new legislation, called the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, is part of a broader series of measures aimed at addressing the health risks of smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United Kingdom, responsible for approximately 74,600 deaths in 2019, according to the National Health Service. The legal age to purchase tobacco in the U.K. is 18. Under the new bill, this age limit will increase by one year every year to create a smoke-free generation. The legislation has been in the works since 2024 and is due to receive royal assent next week before officially becoming law. Once in effect, the law will also tighten restrictions on vaping. It will expand existing laws on smoke-free premises to make them vape-free as well, banning vaping in cars with children, in playgrounds, at hospitals, and outside schools, the BBC reported. The bill will also allow ministers to regul