PRESS RELEASE- Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law
The next generation will be smoke-free as Tobacco and Vapes Bill is granted Royal Assent.
“Government creates the UK’s first smoke-free generation.
Lifesaving legislation the most significant public health reform in generations
New law will protect children from smoking and vaping - alongside record funding to help support millions of adults to quit
Future generations will now be saved from the harms of smoking as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law.
The bill has been granted Royal Assent today (29 April 2026), delivering a historic step towards a smoke-free UK and protecting people from the harms of tobacco by making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
This world-leading legislation means today’s children will never legally be sold cigarettes, breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage that has persisted for decades.”
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