Britons born after 2009 will be barred for life from purchasing tobacco and e-cigarettes. The UK Parliament has passed legislation permanently banning the sale and supply of tobacco products, aiming to create a "smoke-free generation."
The bill targets those currently aged 17 and under, with the goal of preventing them from ever starting to smoke. With only royal assent from King Charles III remaining, the legislation is expected to take effect soon. The UK's push for a tobacco sales ban is interpreted as a long-term strategy to create a "smoke-free society" by blocking contact with tobacco from an early age. By preventing those born in 2009 and younger generations from accessing tobacco as they age, the government aims to extend the effect across all generations. This is the world's second such attempt, following New Zealand in 2022. The law will apply throughout the UK, including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"Those covered by the law will be part of the first 'smoke-free generation' protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm," Health Secretary Wes Streeting said. "Prevention is better than cure."
The bill includes new licensing and registration requirements for retailers. It also contains provisions for mandatory product information labeling, regulations on advertising and promotion, and stricter restrictions on smoking and e-cigarette use in public places. The UK government has defined tobacco as a "leading cause of poor health" and aims to reduce the burden that smoking-related illnesses place on the national healthcare system.
First introduced in 2024, the bill represents a rare smoking-cessation attempt globally. Last year, the Maldives also enacted a law banning tobacco purchases by those born after 2007. Going back further, New Zealand enacted a generational smoking ban in 2022, but it was repealed the following year when a new government took office. Some supporters attributed the repeal to the tobacco industry's influence and predicted the UK could face similar obstacles.
The cost of smoking has been significant. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 5.3 million smokers aged 18 and over in 2024, more than 10% of the adult population. The Department of Health and Social Care said 64,000 people die from smoking each year in the UK, making it the leading cause of preventable death, disability and disease. The annual social cost reaches approximately $29 billion (43 trillion won). The health department noted that "500,000 households are living in poverty due to tobacco spending." An ONS survey found that three-quarters of smokers said they "should never have started."
The spread of e-cigarettes among adolescents is also serious. According to a survey of 11- to 17-year-olds by the UK anti-smoking campaign group ASH, e-cigarette use already surpassed conventional cigarette use in 2021. The gap has gradually widened, with adolescents using e-cigarettes (7.6%) more than doubling those smoking conventional cigarettes (3.6%) as of 2023.
In Korea, a revised Tobacco Business Act takes effect on the 24th. The definition of tobacco has been expanded from "tobacco leaves" to "tobacco leaves or nicotine," bringing synthetic nicotine-based liquid cigarettes under regulation. Individual consumption taxes and other levies will be imposed on synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, raising their prices. Smoking outside designated areas will be subject to fines.
The government's move to regulate nicotine-based tobacco by law comes as more minors are taking up smoking through liquid-type e-cigarettes. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the adolescent smoking rate has fallen to 5.4% for male students and 2.8% for female students, nearly half the level of five years ago. However, the use of liquid-type and heated tobacco e-cigarettes has fluctuated without a clear downward trend. Heated tobacco e-cigarette use among male students has hovered at 3% to 4% recently.
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