New laws triggered for people born after this date in Tobacco and Vapes Bill

The new legislation is meant to mark a ‘turning point’

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill received Royal Assent on 29 April , introducing landmark legislation designed to create the UK's first entirely smoke-free generation. Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed the new legislation as a "turning point for the nation's health". Under the new legislation, anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will be permanently prohibited from legally purchasing tobacco products, regardless of their age at the time of any attempted purchase. The Bill makes it a criminal offence for retailers to sell tobacco to this generation. The measure is intended to prevent younger people from ever developing a dependency on these products, while simultaneously ensuring vapes remain accessible to older people using it as a tool to give up cigarettes. Smoking currently remains one of the leading preventable causes of death across the UK, and is a significant contributor to cancer, heart disease and stroke, placing a considerable strain on the NHS . Other changes included in the Bill: Ban the advertising and sponsorship of vapes and nicotine products Restrict designs on packaging, branding and displays to stop it from appealing to children Strengthen smoke-free protections in certain public places Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, said: "Smoking causes serious harm across the life course and remains a major cause of diseases including lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, bad pregnancy outcomes and premature death. "Second-hand smoke is also extremely dangerous, particularly for children, pregnant women and people with medical conditions. Cigarettes take choice away by addicting people and most smokers wish they had never started but are trapped. "Marketing vapes at children is utterly unacceptable and this act takes powers to restrict it." Alongside the new legislation, the Government will also be channelling investment into support for the 5.3 million smokers across the UK, helping them quit by providing record levels of funding to local stop smoking services. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children will grow up shielded from the life-long harms of tobacco. "It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already overstretched health service. "Today's milestone is the result of decades of research, overwhelming support in Parliament, tireless campaigning and backing from people whose lives have been devastated by smoking. "Governments across the UK must now ensure the act is implemented fully in every nation, alongside support to help people quit smoking. A future free from the lethal harms of tobacco is firmly within reach."