England wants to ban cigarette sales to people born after 2009

The British government has proposed in a new plan to fight smoking on Wednesday, October 4, to ban the sale of cigarettes to younger generations born after 2009 from 2027, which would give the country some of the strictest rules on smoking in the world. If the law is passed, the age of sale of tobacco would increase by one year each year, which could lead to a near-total disappearance of smoking among young people by 2040.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, causing 64,000 deaths in England each year.

Achieving a tobacco-free British generation fast

In 2019, the UK government set an ambition to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2030. However, the Khan report 2022 indicated that although smoking rates had fallen to a historically low rate with a general population prevalence of 12.9% currently in the UK and 12.7% in England, further efforts are needed to achieve the target.

The government will present a draft law[1] which will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, starting in 2027. The law will prevent children who turn 14 or younger this year from being legally sold tobacco products - effectively raising the smoking age by one year each year until it applies to the entire population. In its statement, the government said: " Four out of five smokers start smoking before the age of 20 and remain addicted for the rest of their lives "By preventing young people from starting to smoke, this measure will protect a generation of young people from the many risks of smoking when they are older. More and more countries, including New Zealand, are considering raising the age of sale to prevent new generations from starting to smoke. Malaysia introduced a bill in June 2023 that would do the same for anyone born on or after 1 January 2007.

In France, a similar measure is recommended in the white paper of the National Committee against Smoking (CNCT) in its white paper published last May. It recommends banning the sale of all tobacco products to people born in 2014 or later, and this provision is supported by the organisations united within the Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT).

Additional investments planned

The government will invest an additional £70 million a year to help around 360,000 more people quit smoking each year. It will also increase funding for awareness campaigns by £5 million this year and £15 million from next year. Finally, the government will provide an additional £30 million a year for agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing the ban on the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to minors. Immediate fines will be imposed for breaches of the ban.

Additional measures against vaping products

Due to the significant increase in the use of vaping products among British teenagers, driven by disposable devices and flavourings, the Prime Minister wants measures to restrict access to these products for younger people. This consultation on vaping will examine the possibility of restricting flavours and regulating packaging. Attractive descriptions/packaging are singled out as they are more directly targeted at children. The government also wants to better regulate the displays of these products at points of sale and ban disposable vaping devices (puffs).

Last June, several public health associations including Action for Smoking and Health (ASH) denounced the government's inaction following the numerous warnings issued in recent years. These warnings concerned the increase in vaping among adolescents and the need for stricter regulation of electronic cigarettes.[2]The rate of regular vapers among 11-17 year-olds increased from 0.6% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2022 and 3.7% in 2023, while the sale of e-cigarettes to minors is illegal in the country.

Keywords: England, UK, tobacco-free generation, sales ban, young people, smoking, vaping

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[1] Press release, Prime Minister to create 'smokefree generation' by ending cigarette sales to those born on or after 1 January 2009, UK Government, published 4 October 2023, accessed 5 October 2023

[2] Generation without tobacco, UK: Health organisations highlight government inaction on child vaping, published July 6, 2023, accessed October 5, 2023