Generational tobacco ban presented to UK parliament

THE Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tobacco and Vaping Products Bill) passed the committee stage in the last Parliament. It will introduce a phased ban on tobacco sales for the next generation and will give the UK government additional powers to regulate vaping devices.

If the bill passes, which is likely given the Labour Party's majority in the House of Commons, the UK will have one of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world. This bill will be joined in a separate bill by banning disposable e-cigarettes (puffs) from June 2025 and increasing taxes on tobacco and vaping.

Some of these measures will be implemented at UK level, while others may be legislated for separately by Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Further consultations will provide more detailed guidance on these changes.

A law supported across the political spectrum

Raising the age for tobacco sales – so that no one born in 2009 or later can legally be sold tobacco – enjoyed strong cross-party support in the last Parliament. The measure is also supported by voters across the political spectrum and by a majority in every UK constituency. Support stands at 74.% among Labour voters (11.% opposed), 70.% among Conservatives (13.% opposed) and 75.% among Liberal Democrats (9.% opposed).

In addition to the generational ban on tobacco sales, the bill proposes a set of coherent measures aimed at sustainably reducing smoking and restricting the attractiveness of tobacco and nicotine products, including:

• The extension of the existing indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor spaces, with a focus on protecting children and vulnerable people (schools, playgrounds and hospitals mentioned), subject to consultation;
• Extending the ban on consumption to vaping products (not just tobacco products) particularly in areas where children and young adults are present;
• Banning advertising and sponsorship of vaping devices, as well as allowing governments to restrict flavours, and regulate the presentation and packaging of all types of vaping devices and other nicotine products;
• The authority to create a retail licensing regime for the sale of tobacco and vaping products;
• The introduction of fixed penalty notices of £200 for retailers caught breaching the regulations;

The introduction of this bill is welcomed by all public health associations who congratulate the British government for "continue to play a leading role in tobacco legislation around the world."

New Zealand was the first country to ban the sale of tobacco to children born after a certain date, but the new government repealed the law following pressure from the tobacco industry.[1].

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Generation without tobacco, New Zealand: Health Minister's strategy to achieve a tobacco-free generation is a failure, published October 15, 2024, accessed November 6, 2024