<p>London: Children in Britain who are 17 or younger, and anyone born in the future, will never be able to legally buy <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/cigarettes">cigarettes</a> after lawmakers approved new stricter restrictions on smoking.</p><p>The Tobacco and Vapes Bill raises the legal age for buying <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/tobacco">tobacco</a> by one year, every year, starting with people born on or after January 1, 2009, meaning affected age groups face a lifetime ban.</p><p>The law, which is due to receive royal assent next week, also tightens controls on vaping, including banning sales of vaping and nicotine products to under-18s and restricting advertising, displays, free distribution and discounting.</p><p>The government says the measures will help reduce smoking and prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine, easing long-term pressure on the National Health Service.</p><p>Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the approval of the bill was a historic moment for the nation's health.</p><p>"Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm," he said.</p><p>"Prevention is better than cure – this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain."</p>.India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris.<p>Smoking causes about 64,000 deaths and 4,00,000 hospital admissions a year in England, according to official estimates, and costs the NHS around 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) annually, with wider economic costs exceeding 20 billion pounds.</p><p><strong>Tighter rules on vaping</strong></p><p>Vaping has also become a focus for policymakers, especially over concerns about youth uptake and nicotine addiction.</p><p>The government banned the sale of single-use or disposable vapes last year over concerns about youth use and environmental damage.</p><p>The new legislation will tighten those rules, with ministers gaining powers to regulate the flavours and packaging of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products through secondary legislation.</p><p>Around 10 per cent of adults in Great Britain - an estimated 5.5 million people - use vapes, according to health charity Action on Smoking and Health, with levels broadly unchanged since 2024, suggesting growth has begun to plateau.</p><p>About half of people who vape are former smokers, while around 40 per cent continue to smoke alongside vaping, the charity said. </p><p><em>($1 = 0.7394 pounds)</em> </p>
<p>London: Children in Britain who are 17 or younger, and anyone born in the future, will never be able to legally buy <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/cigarettes">cigarettes</a> after lawmakers approved new stricter restrictions on smoking.</p><p>The Tobacco and Vapes Bill raises the legal age for buying <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/tobacco">tobacco</a> by one year, every year, starting with people born on or after January 1, 2009, meaning affected age groups face a lifetime ban.</p><p>The law, which is due to receive royal assent next week, also tightens controls on vaping, including banning sales of vaping and nicotine products to under-18s and restricting advertising, displays, free distribution and discounting.</p><p>The government says the measures will help reduce smoking and prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine, easing long-term pressure on the National Health Service.</p><p>Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the approval of the bill was a historic moment for the nation's health.</p><p>"Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm," he said.</p><p>"Prevention is better than cure – this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain."</p>.India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris.<p>Smoking causes about 64,000 deaths and 4,00,000 hospital admissions a year in England, according to official estimates, and costs the NHS around 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) annually, with wider economic costs exceeding 20 billion pounds.</p><p><strong>Tighter rules on vaping</strong></p><p>Vaping has also become a focus for policymakers, especially over concerns about youth uptake and nicotine addiction.</p><p>The government banned the sale of single-use or disposable vapes last year over concerns about youth use and environmental damage.</p><p>The new legislation will tighten those rules, with ministers gaining powers to regulate the flavours and packaging of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products through secondary legislation.</p><p>Around 10 per cent of adults in Great Britain - an estimated 5.5 million people - use vapes, according to health charity Action on Smoking and Health, with levels broadly unchanged since 2024, suggesting growth has begun to plateau.</p><p>About half of people who vape are former smokers, while around 40 per cent continue to smoke alongside vaping, the charity said. </p><p><em>($1 = 0.7394 pounds)</em> </p>