New tobacco and vaping law to see UK become first country to end smoking

A historic legal change to phase out the sale of cigarettes has become law in the UK today. The Tobacco and Vapes Act includes a landmark phase out of the legal sale of tobacco products to children born on or after 1 January 2009. As the bill gained Royal Assent, research published by Cancer Research UK estimated that it will mean 13 million children alive today will never be legally sold tobacco in the UK. The charity said that if the legislation has the impact the government hopes then by 2040, up to 10 million fewer cigarettes will be smoked each day in the UK. It makes Britain the first major nation to outlaw the sale of tobacco products to future generations. Michelle Mitchell, chief executive officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children will grow up shielded from the lifelong harms of tobacco. “It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already over stretched health service." The UK is the first large country to implement the phasing out of the sale of tobacco products. The Maldives did so last year following similar legislation in New Zealand although the latter was later repealed. An estimated 800,000 people in the UK have lost their lives to diseases caused by tobacco smoking in the last decade. Every year smoking leads to over 400,000 hospital admissions in England, costing the NHS £1.8 billion a year. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) estimates that smoking costs the economy £27.6 billion each year. Around 5.3 million people in the UK still smoke. The bill was first introduced under the previous Conservative government and developed and carried forward by the current Labour government. Recent polling by Cancer Research UK found that 72% of people support raising the age of sale of tobacco products gradually to prevent future generations from ever legally being sold tobacco. Ms Mitchell added: “Today’s milestone is the result of decades of research, overwhelming support in Parliament, tireless campaigning and backing from people whose lives have been devastated by smoking. "Governments across the UK must now ensure the Act is implemented fully in every nation, alongside support to help people quit smoking. A future free from the lethal harms of tobacco is firmly within reach.”