In Britain, those born after 2008 will be permanently banned from buying cigarettes

A lifetime ban on purchasing cigarettes for all people born from January 1, 2009, will come into effect in the United Kingdom.

As reported by TASS, the corresponding bill, introduced by the UK's Department of Health, has passed all stages of parliamentary consideration and will become law once it is signed by King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

The law, whose stated aim is to create the first smoke-free generation, means that teenagers who are currently 17 years old, and everyone younger than them, will never be able to purchase cigarettes in the United Kingdom.

In addition, the law introduces stricter regulation of the sale, distribution, and use of cigarettes, vapes, and nicotine-containing products. Specifically, zones where the use of electronic cigarettes is prohibited will be expanded. The ban will cover playgrounds, areas near schools and hospitals, and smoking electronic cigarettes in a car where children are present will also be made illegal.

Previously presenting this law in the House of Lords, Baroness Gillian Merron called it "the most significant public health reform in a generation." "This is a landmark bill; it will create a smokefree generation," said the politician representing the ruling Labour Party.

Critics of the restrictions point to their undemocratic nature and unfairness. For example, in many families there will be siblings, some of whom, under the new law, will have more rights than others. Those who disagree with the law also point out that in the future, governments may go even further and, in the name of public health, introduce similar restrictions on other legally permitted products.