UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pushing for a ban on smoking in the country. Lawmakers are currently debating plans to establish a “smoke-free generation” and reduce smoking-related deaths. Under a new law, the age for cigarette sales would increase by one year annually, effectively prohibiting people born in 2009 or later from legally purchasing cigarettes. The law would not impact those already authorized to buy cigarettes.
To prevent underage sales, the government plans to impose £100 on-the-spot fines for shops in England and Wales that sell tobacco and vapes to minors. Local authorities will retain the funds to enhance law enforcement, in addition to £2,500 fines courts can already impose. The government intends to spend £30 million on enforcement, with a focus on curbing the availability of cigarettes on the black market.
The government aims to expedite the new system’s implementation by 2027. Sunak hopes to work with the administrations of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to pass the law across the UK. According to the administration, smoking remains the primary avoidable explanation for death, disability, and ill health, causing close to 80,000 deaths each year in the UK and costing the NHS and economy an estimated £17 billion each year. Establishing a “smoke-free generation” could prevent over 470,000 cases of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other illnesses by the century’s conclusion.
Vaping is also restricted under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Although vaping is less harmful than smoking, health experts caution that non-smokers should avoid it due to the risk of long-term damage to their lungs, hearts, and brains. Disposable vapes are banned from use in England from April 2025, with hopes of extending this ban throughout the UK. A new tax on vaping will be levied beginning October 2026, with nicotine vapes’ contents, packaging and flavours restricted to deter underage usage.
Approximately 12.9% of individuals in the UK, or approximately 6.4 million, smoked cigarettes in 2022. The 25-34 age group has the highest percentage of smokers, while the 65+ age group has the least. England has the fewest smokers of the UK nations, and Wales has the most. The rising cost of smoking, with a packet of 20 king-size cigarettes costing over £15, has spurred some consumers to smoke fewer cigarettes or quit entirely, according to anti-smoking charity Ash.
Countries such as Mexico, which has very strict anti-smoking laws, Portugal, which aims for a “smoke-free generation” by 2040, and Canada, which strives to decrease tobacco use to under 5% by 2035, are all investing in measures to reduce smoking rates
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