Anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, will never be allowed to buy cigarettes in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which cleared Parliament, the BBC reported.
After the bill receives approval from King Charles III, ministers will be given new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, the BBC said.
The law will apply in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The bill was first proposed in 2024.
Similar legislation was passed in the Maldives that banned tobacco for anyone born in 2007 or later. New Zealand enacted a generational ban in 2021, though it was later overturned.
The legislation also bans vaping in cars carrying children, at playgrounds, outside schools, and inside hospitals, expanding smoke-free laws in the country.
Vaping will still be allowed outside hospitals, in pub gardens, and on beaches, and people will still be allowed to smoke and vape in their homes.
"Prevention is better than cure. This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain," Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said.
Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health Baroness Gillian Merron told the BBC the bill will save lives.
"It is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation," Merron said.
Lord Michael Naseby, a Conservative former MP, expressed concern that the bill will cause harm to retailers.
"What we really need is a proper understanding of how we educate people not to take up smoking," Naseby told the BBC.
Sarah Sleet, of Asthma + Lung UK, told the BBC the bill will transform the nation's health.
"Now that this groundbreaking bill is finally over the line," Sleet said, "we have a chance to go further to protect public health and hold the tobacco industry to account."
Sleet said she now wants the government to focus on helping current smokers quit. More than 5.3 million people – 10% of adults in the United Kingdom – smoke, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Smoking is responsible for 64,000 deaths every year in the country, the leading cause of preventable death, disability, and ill health, the New York Times reported, citing the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Department of Health said smoking costs the country $29 billion a year and that 500,000 households are living in poverty because of the money spent on tobacco.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.