Opponents of smoking in the United Kingdom got a major boost as Parliament passed a bill aimed at keeping cigarettes out of reach for future generations.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill bans anyone born after December 31, 2008, from buying cigarettes in the country.
The bill, which will now go to King Charles III for approval, also raises the minimum age to buy cigarettes every year, starting from 19 next year and 20 the following year.
This means that most youths today will face a lifetime ban on buying cigarettes in the UK.
The passage of the bill gives the UK one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world, similar to New Zealand's 2022 law.
According to official figures, some 6.4 million people, or about 13 per cent of the population, still smoke in Britain, causing around 80,000 deaths a year.
