Turning 18 will no longer mean buying cigarettes in Britain.

Lawmakers have approved legislation that makes it illegal for shops to sell tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009, Reuters reported. The measure, called the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, is part of a broader set of steps aimed at addressing the health risks of smoking.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United Kingdom, responsible for about 74,600 deaths in 2019, according to the National Health Service. The legal age to buy tobacco in the UK is 18, but under the new bill that age limit will rise by one year every year to create a smoke-free generation.

The legislation has been in the works since 2024 and is due to receive royal assent next week before officially becoming law.

Once it takes effect, the law will also tighten restrictions on vaping. It will expand existing smoke-free premises laws to cover vaping too, banning vaping in cars with children, in playgrounds, at hospitals and outside schools, the BBC reported.

The bill will also let ministers regulate the flavours and packaging of vaping products, as well as ban advertising for vaping and smoking products.

“Prevention is better than cure—this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain,” Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said, according to the BBC.

Smoking has long been linked to a higher risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses. It kills more than 7 million people worldwide each year, including an estimated 1.6 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke, according to the World Health Organization.

The UK joins other countries that have moved to impose a generational smoking ban. In 2022, New Zealand passed a similar ban preventing anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco, while the Maldives introduced a generational smoking ban in 2025 for people born on or after January 1, 2007.

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