In this country, people born after 2008 will not be able to buy tobacco, Generation Ban law passed in both the houses, will be implemented from January 1, 2027

New Delhi. The British Government has taken strict steps to stop smoking in its country. Now preparations have been made for the new generation of people to stop buying cigarettes forever. The government has passed the ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’. Under this, people born after 2008 will not be able to buy tobacco related items throughout their life.

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The bill has been passed by the Parliament and now only the formal approval of King Charles III is left, after which it will become law. This will be applicable in the whole of Britain i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Let us tell you that the government had introduced this bill in 2024 and had kept it among its biggest priorities. According to the new rule, this law will come into effect from January 1, 2027.

Law will be applicable according to age

From January 1, 2027, the minimum age for purchasing tobacco will increase by one year every year. That means if the age limit is 18 years in 2027, then it will be 19 years in 2028 and 20 years in 2029. People who were born in 2009 or later will never be able to legally purchase cigarettes. Shopkeepers will be required to check the age of every customer. There will be a fine for selling cigarettes to underage people. Those selling tobacco will have to register. There will be a strict ban on advertising and promotion.

Strictness on e-cigarettes too

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Strictness has also been imposed on vaping (E-cigarettes). Smoking will be completely banned in schools, hospitals and children’s play places. Vaping will also not be possible in many indoor places. If someone vapes in a car with a person under the age of 18, that would also be illegal.

Britain’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that this generation will be the first smoke-free generation spared from addiction and harm. He says that it is better to prevent the disease before treating it.

The government says that this will create a smoke-free generation in the future and the diseases and deaths caused by smoking will reduce. However, some people and businessmen are calling it too strict and saying that it is more important to make people aware.

76 thousand deaths due to tobacco every year in Britain

The British Government has taken this strict step because smoking remains a big threat to the health of the people there. According to government figures, every year more than 76,000 people lose their lives here due to cigarette-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and lung problems. The government says that most people start smoking cigarettes at an early age. Later it becomes difficult to give up this habit, hence it is important to keep the new generation away from it from the beginning.

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Due to smoking, a lot of money is spent on treatment, which increases the pressure on Britain’s Health Service (NHS). If people smoke less, this burden will also reduce. Nearly 75 percent of people who smoke cigarettes in Britain wish they had never started. Apart from this, people’s work also gets affected due to illness, which affects the country’s economy. The government has already taken measures like warnings and taxes, but it did not make a complete difference. Therefore, now efforts are being made to keep the new generation away from tobacco by making strict laws.

New Zealand is the first country to implement this law

New Zealand was the first country to come up with the idea that people born after a certain year would never be able to buy cigarettes. The New Zealand government wanted to free the country from cigarettes and tobacco, hence this law was made.

In December 2022, the Smoke Free Environment Act banning tobacco and cigarettes was passed in the New Zealand Parliament. Under this, people who were born after 2008 could not buy any kind of smoking products. Later, this law was withdrawn when the government changed in 2024. The government argued that this would help raise revenue to finance the tax cuts.

Smoke-free policy in more than 70 countries

According to the World Health Organization (WHO): In 2004, Ireland became the first country to enact a smoking ban in workplaces, restaurants and bars. As of 2007, only 10 countries had indoor smoking bans. By 2023, 71 percent of the world’s population (about 5.6 billion people) will be covered by some smoke-free policy.