UK Plans to Raise Legal Smoking Age Year by Year; Flavored Vapes May Face Curbs

The UK plans to gradually raise the legal smoking age year by year, aiming to create a "smoke-free generation," while also considering stricter regulations on e-cigarettes to prevent youth tobacco dependence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that this measure will prevent young people from starting to smoke, potentially reducing preventable deaths and diseases. The government will also limit the availability of e-cigarettes to reduce their appeal to young people. This plan has been welcomed by health experts, but tobacco company stocks fell following the announcement.

According to ABC News on October 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed at the Conservative Party conference that the legal age for purchasing tobacco in England should increase by one year annually until it is considered illegal for the entire population, hoping to prevent youth from engaging in such behavior.   

Sunak announced this plan at the annual Conservative Party conference, expressing his desire to prevent young people from starting to smoke. Currently, it is illegal to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to anyone under 18 in the UK. Sunak's office stated that under this gradual change, children aged 14 and under this year will not be able to legally purchase cigarettes in England.

If Parliament approves the proposal, this legal change will only apply in England, not in Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales.

“People start smoking at a young age. By the age of 20, a quarter of smokers have already started. If we can break this cycle, if we can stop this initiation, then we will pave the way to end the leading cause of preventable deaths and diseases in our country,” Sunak said.

The UK government stated that smoking will not be criminalized, and this phased change means that those who can legally purchase cigarettes now will not be prevented from doing so in the future. Since 1970, the number of smokers in the UK has decreased by two-thirds, but according to official data, there are still 6.4 million people (about 13% of the population) who smoke. In 2007, the UK government raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco from 16 to 18, successfully reducing the smoking rate among 16 to 17-year-olds by 30%, according to Sunak's office.

Health experts welcomed the Prime Minister's plan to gradually raise the legal smoking age. Similar measures were approved in New Zealand last year.

Lion Shahab, co-director of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London, said: “The government's plan to introduce 'smoke-free generation' legislation could become its defining legacy, correcting a century of mistakes where tobacco products became the only legally sold goods that, if used as intended, would kill more than half of lifelong users.”

Sunak also stated that the government will introduce measures to limit the availability of e-cigarettes. In the UK, it is currently illegal to sell e-cigarettes to children under 18, but officials have noted that the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers has tripled in the past three years, with more children now using e-cigarettes than smoking traditional cigarettes. The government will consider options including restricting flavored e-cigarettes and adjusting packaging and in-store displays to reduce the appeal of products to young people. 

After Sunak announced the plan, British American Tobacco's stock immediately fell by 1%, while Imperial Brands' stock dropped by 2.4% after Sunak's speech concluded.