A non-controversial public health policy? The UK’s gradual ban on smoking has been a PR success. Really!

Bad news! Incredible! Whoever came up with this authoritarian nonsense especially in the UK!

Very clever move to avoid protests and resistance! And what about black markets etc.?

What is the heck is going on in the UK! Hopefully this truly awful law will be repealed ASAP!

Will a ban on alcohol be next?

"... Last week saw the passage of the tobacco and vapes bill, which has a very ambitious aim: to create a “smoke-free generation” and eventually end smoking for ever in the UK. Quite simply, anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be legally able to buy tobacco products.

From 2027, the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco will increase by one year (from the current age of 18) every year. There will be a permanent generational line: everyone above it will still be allowed to buy cigarettes; everyone below it won’t. ..."

A non-controversial public health policy? The UK’s gradual ban on smoking has been a PR success | Devi Sridhar | The Guardian "The world will be watching to see how the ban for anyone born after 2009 works out. So far it’s been a win with smokers and non-smokers alike"

UK Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026

Credits: Global Health NOW