United Kingdom

Brits Don't Need Government Mandates To Create a 'Smoke-Free Generation.' The Market Is Already Doing So.

With smoking rates already declining, the infantilization of future adults is unlikely to be a big win for public health.

Reem Ibrahim | 4.22.2026 2:55 PM

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Britain, which has long restricted what people eat and consume, has now banned tobacco for future generations.

On Tuesday, Parliament passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The law, first proposed by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2023, bans anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from legally buying tobacco products.

"[This] is a landmark bill," Health Minister Gillian Merron told the House of Lords on Monday. "It will create a smoke-free generation." However, if the goal truly is better public health, a government ban is unnecessary.

Like most of the Western world, the smoking rate in Britain has declined significantly. In 2023, the proportion of the population who never smoked reached 63.2........

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