- Technically, the new law will raise the legal age requirement in the UK for buying cigarettes, cigars or tobacco, which is currently 18, by one year in every subsequent year, starting on January 1, 2027
- This will effectively mean that people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be eligible to buy them
- Retailers will face financial penalties for selling the products to those not entitled to them
- The government will also be empowered to impose a new registration system for smoking and vaping products entering the country, seeking to improve oversight
- The bill will expand the UK’s indoor smoking ban to a series of outdoor public spaces, for instance in children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals
- Most indoor spaces that are designated smoke-free will become vape-free as well
- Smoking in designated areas outside pubs and bars and other hospitality settings will remain permissible
- Smoking and vaping will remain legal in people’s homes
- Vaping will become illegal in cars if someone under the age of 18 is inside, to match existing rules on smoking
- Advertising for smoking and vaping products will be banned
- People aged 18 or older will remain eligible to purchase vaping products, but some items targeted at younger consumers like disposable vapes have already been outlawed as part of the program
In Australia the government just applies a very hefty tax to tobacco products, they banned vapes, you need a doctors prescription to buy them. But all these measures have done is create a huge black market for both, it’s really easy to buy cheap smokes or vapes. But we also now get all the lovely things that come along with that much criminal activity like innocent people being killed in turf wars.
The government legislation is still way behind so while in theory there are penalties for selling illegal tobacco it’s more of a slap on the wrist and it’s only the end sellers getting in trouble, the heads of the networks are shielded and raking in the money.