The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver on the Prime Minister's commitment to create a smokefree generation, saving thousands of lives and billions for the NHS
A new bill to protect future generations across the UK from the harmful impacts of smoking and build a better future for our children will be introduced to Parliament today (Wednesday 20 March 2024).
Smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer and costs the NHS and the economy an estimated £17 billion a year. It is highly addictive, with 4 in 5 smokers starting before the age of 20 and remaining addicted for the rest of their lives. This puts huge pressure on the NHS, with someone admitted to hospital with a smoking-relating condition almost every minute in England.
Under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduced today, children turning 15 this year or younger will never legally be able to be sold tobacco. This will ensure that future generations are protected from the harmful impacts of smoking and save thousands of lives as well as billions of pounds for the NHS.
Importantly, creating a smokefree generation will help level up the UK because smoking is one of the most significant and preventable drivers of disparities in health outcomes.
Smoking itself will not be criminalised, and our phased approach means anyone who can legally buy tobacco now will not be prevented from doing so in future.
In response to a huge rise in the number of children using vapes, the bill will also introduce new powers to restrict vape flavours and packaging that is intentionally marketed at children. The powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them, like sweets.
The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches. While vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, children should never vape.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said:
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said:
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said:
Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s Executive Director of Policy, said:
Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:
Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said:
Under the bill, enforcement officers’ powers will also be strengthened with ‘on the spot fines’ of £100 to uphold the new laws and clamp down on underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose. It will also no longer be legal to give free samples of vapes to under 18s.
Additionally, the government has committed to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes from April 2025 under separate environmental legislation. Disposable vapes have been a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping, with the proportion of 11 to 17 year old vapers using disposables increasing almost ninefold in the last 2 years.
The government has already announced funding to support smokers to quit with £70 million for local ‘stop smoking’ services. The ‘swap to stop’ scheme, for example, provides free access to a vape kits alongside behavioural support to help adult smokers quit the habit and improve health outcomes.