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Posted on 04/27/2026 6:42:09 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The U.K. Parliament Tuesday passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that will permanently ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, ultimately phasing it out for the entire population. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a "historic moment for the nation’s health." The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
For Americans watching from across the pond, the question isn’t just whether this policy will work in Britain. It's whether anything like it could ever take root here in the United States.
The short answer is no — not at the federal level. But the longer answer is maybe, and it's already unfolding in Massachusetts and other states.
How the U.K.'s Smoking Ban Works
The mechanics of the law are simple. The U.K.’s current legal smoking age is 18. Under the new law, it rises by one year annually. Those born after 2008 are permanently locked out of the legal tobacco market, regardless of their age at the time of purchase.
For example, a 25-year-old born in 2009 won't be able to buy cigarettes in 2034. Same goes for a 50-year-old in 2059.
The bill does not ban smoking itself, nor does it criminalize possession. Cigarettes won’t be confiscated from those who already smoke. The intervention is at the point of sale: retailers must verify birth dates. The bill also grants ministers new regulatory powers over vaping products including controls on flavors and packaging. These are popular among youth in both the U.K. and the U.S.
The policy traces its lineage to New Zealand, which passed a similar Smokefree Environments amendment in 2022. But New Zealand’s incoming government controversially repealed it in 2023 before it was implemented.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
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Because health care in government run.
Will they edit all of the Sherlock Holmes movies to omit Holmes’s and Dr. Watson’s pipe smoking?
Not a very nice way to treat aboriginal Americans who gave us tobacco.
No, Native Americans will still be able to sell tobacco. The U.S. can’t force them to stop.
Can we make it pot?
That skunk smell ruins most days.
Will the next step be to ban alcohol to appease Muslim sensibilities?
Bacon is next.
Mexican cartels say Bring It.
You may not have read, smokers cost healthcare less money than nonsmokers.
Probably not. The goverment wants people to smoke pot.
Correction: "Pork is next."
If smokers cost healthcare less, overall, its because they die younger.
This legislation is a joke... Besides... The vast majority of Cigarettes aren’t sold legally anymore... Most smokers depend on the black market especially in Europe and Canada where cigarette taxes have made legal cigarettes unbuyable.
In Canada if you buy legally sold cigarettes they are typically $20+ per package... Illegal cigarettes are being sold for $15 to $20 per carton usually through indigenous sales... In Europe the illegal cigarettes are likely being sold by Roma / Travelers. Cigarettes in the UK sell for £17 a pack... That’s $22 American per pack.
What person in their right mind would buy ‘legal’ cigarettes?
Yes, but shouldn’t the government encourage smoking, since it brings down costs?
Next they’ll ban dogs. They don’t want to offense their muslims.
No, it would be incredibly unconstitutional. Regardless of “good intentions.”
Not possible to enforce. Didn't prohibition teach them anything? Or do the figure total surveillance of everybody will do the trick this time?
Cut the rights and raise the taxes
Decades of anti-smoking propaganda and elimination of smoking areas in restaurants, bars, and other public places have lowered the rate among adult Americans to 9.9% in 2024. At its peak around 1960, 42% of adult Americans were smokers.
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