London, United Kingdom - July 05, 2024

The UK government has proposed groundbreaking legislation to tackle smoking and vaping among young people. The bill, known as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, would increase the legal age for buying cigarettes by one year every twelve months, meaning that those born on or after 1 January 2009 would never be able to legally purchase cigarettes.

The measure aims to reduce smoking rates among 14-30 year olds to zero by 2040. King Charles III stressed in his speech to Parliament that "the government will progressively raise the age at which cigarettes can be bought".

The measure, strongly pushed by Keir Starmer, is intended to protect future generations and prevent young people from taking up smoking. According to government documents, smoking costs the UK around £17 billion a year, including £10 billion in lost productivity. This figure contrasts with the £10 billion raised annually through taxes on tobacco products.

The new law provides for the creation of on-the-spot fines for people who are not old enough to buy tobacco. A document initially released by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that "we will not criminalize smoking, nor will we prevent those who are currently able to buy cigarettes legally from doing so in the future".

In addition, the bill also proposes to restrict the way vapes and other nicotine products are marketed to prevent them from appealing to children. Ministers will have new powers to regulate the flavors, packaging and display of these products. An estimated 6.4 million people, around 12.7% of adults, smoke in the UK. Experts believe that half a million people will die by 2030 if action is not taken to tackle the problem.

During the final day of the Conservative party conference in Manchester last year, Sunak acknowledged the importance of tackling smoking, describing it as "the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability and death". He explained his proposal to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes by one year each year, stressing: "We know this works. When we raised the smoking age to 18, smoking prevalence fell by 30% in that age group".

This footage illustrates various cigarette shops in London, UK.