People born after 2008 face a lifetime ban on buying cigarettes under controversial new laws, raising the prospect of adult smokers being asked for ID well into middle age.
At its core, the proposed law, expected to come into effect on January 1, 2027, creates a ‘rolling age ban’, meaning anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, can never legally be sold tobacco, even when they are well into adulthood.
The aim is to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by permanently blocking access to cigarettes and other nicotine products for younger people, rather than banning smoking outright.
In practice, the system will build on the existing ‘Think 25’ policy, where shop workers ask for ID if someone looks under 25.
But because the new rule is based on year of birth rather than age, checks are expected to become far more wide-ranging.
Retailers are likely to display clear signs explaining the ban. Staff will need to verify the age of anyone who could fall into the restricted group.
Over time, that could mean customers in their 30s or even 40s being asked to show ID, as shop workers try to work out whether they were born before or after the cut-off.
Estimates suggest around 24 per cent of young people in England now use tobacco products, the highest rate in a decade.
Children born after January 1, 2009, face a lifetime ban on buying cigarettes
At the till, the rule is simple: anyone born before January 1, 2009, will be able to buy cigarettes but those born on or after that date will be refused. The result is a stark divide.
Two people born just a day apart, on December 31, 2008 and January 1, 2009, will face completely different rights for the rest of their lives.
It does not necessarily mean everyone will be ID’d. But in reality, far more people are likely to be challenged than under the current system.
Because the ban does not ‘age out’, retailers will have to be cautious. Anyone who looks young enough to fall into the banned group could be asked for proof of age.
In practical terms, that means ID checks could become a routine part of buying tobacco for decades to come – and eventually tobacco will not be sold in the UK at all.
The ban also covers tobacco sold for pipes and shisha pipes.
Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said: ‘The aim of the policy is to gradually phase out smoking from the UK, ultimately ending the devastating harm it causes.
‘Smoking rates in under 18s are already very low, are expected to fall as a result of generational ban and should further taper with access to smoking cessation. By the time there is no one old enough to buy tobacco, smoking will be obsolete.’
Can people buy cigarettes or vapes for younger people under the ban?
Buying age-restricted products for someone else is known as ‘proxy purchasing’ and is already illegal, though often difficult to police.
In reality, it can be difficult to prove unless the young person is with them or waiting outside.
Under the new system, those rules will remain in place and are expected to be enforced more strictly.
Adults who buy cigarettes or vapes for someone covered by the ban could face fines.
Retailers who repeatedly allow it risk serious penalties, including losing their licence to sell tobacco.
Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, was quick to criticise the new rules.
‘Most people can easily buy a pack of illicit cigarettes for £5 and the people who sell them don’t care how old their customers are,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘Most tobacco in Australia is now illegal thanks to high taxes and we are heading in the same direction. The generational sales ban will only accelerate that.’
What about duty-free cigarettes?
The ban will apply to all tobacco sales within the UK, including duty-free shops in airports.
That means retailers must refuse sales to anyone born after January 1, 2009, even if the cigarettes are being bought for use abroad.
Enforcement becomes more complicated when it comes to tobacco bought overseas and brought back into the country.
That is likely to be dealt with under existing customs rules rather than the new law alone.
Tourists born on or after the cut-off date will also be unable to legally buy cigarettes, vapes, or tobacco products in the UK.
What about vaping?
Vaping is not being banned outright under the proposed laws, but it is still expected to face tighter regulation as part of efforts to reduce youth nicotine use.
The generational smoking ban focuses primarily on tobacco, but ministers are also introducing powers to restrict the advertising, flavours and branding of vaping products to make them less appealing to children.
E-cigarettes have grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, with ONS data suggesting vaping has surged among younger age groups.
While the NHS continues to say vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking, concerns remain about the long-term effects, particularly among teenagers.
Smoking and vaping will also be restricted in certain locations, including cars carrying children, playgrounds and outside schools.
Other outdoor spaces such as pub gardens and private homes are expected to remain exempt, after ministers backed away from wider restrictions following a backlash from the hospitality sector.
There are also plans to extend smoking bans to areas outside hospitals and GP surgeries, although vaping may still be permitted in some healthcare settings to support those trying to quit.
Critics have already hit out at the plans.
Snowdon said: ‘The vaping policies under consideration are dangerous.
‘The government seems intent on getting vapers to go back to smoking. The forthcoming vape tax will double or triple the cost of vaping.
‘The proposed vaping ban and possible ban on some flavours will create further disincentives for smokers to switch. These are effectively pro-smoking policies and the government should be ashamed.’
Will people still be allowed to smoke under the tobacco ban?
The law does not make smoking itself illegal and anyone who can already legally buy cigarettes will still be able to do so and can continue smoking if they choose.
Instead, the policy is designed to phase out smoking gradually by ensuring younger generations never gain legal access in the first place.
Over time, ministers hope this will reduce smoking rates to near zero without introducing an outright ban.
In 2022–23, smoking-related hospital admissions in England rose by nearly five per cent to approximately 408,700, though this remains below pre-pandemic levels
Roughly 13 per cent of adults in England reported smoking in 2022, and smoking is responsible for around 16 per cent of all respiratory hospital admissions.
Streeting praised the ban as ‘a historic moment for the nation’s health’.
‘Prevention is better than cure – this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain.’
However, Dr David Crane, Founder of Smoke Free and one of the country’s leading smoking cessation experts, is urging policymakers not to overlook the six million adults in the UK who still smoke.
He warns that without stronger support for existing smokers, the 2030 smoke-free target risks slipping out of reach.
He said: ‘The Government’s ambition to create a smoke-free generation is absolutely right – preventing young people from ever starting to smoke is essential.
‘But we must not forget the six million adults in the UK who already smoke, risking their health every day and placing huge pressure on the NHS. If we do, the government’s goal of achieving a smoke free nation by 2030 will be impossible to meet.
‘Having the right support in place for existing smokers is of fundamental importance. The NHS’s growing commitment to digital health tools as part of its strategic evolution is encouraging, but we must ensure that innovative, evidence-based, proven platforms like the Smoke Free app are championed and reaching those who need them most.
‘If we scale what already works, we can make a smoke-free nation a reality, not just an aspiration.’
What about the tax raised from tobacco sales?
Figures cited by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) claim that smoking-related costs to the NHS far outweigh the tax revenue from tobacco products.
They claim that the direct cost of smoking to the UK public finances in 2023 was £21.9bn, more than double the £8.4 billion the treasury raised through taxing tobacco.
They add: ‘Almost one hospital admission every minute [is] attributable to smoking and up to 75,000 GP appointments each month [are] due to smoking-related illness.’
The pressure group says extra costs come from lost economic productivity and NHS and social care costs connected with smoking-related illness, as well as treating the diseases, such as cancer.
