The UK approves a lifetime ban on smoking for those born since 2009

The British Parliament has approved a historic phased ban on tobacco sales, prohibiting anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from purchasing tobacco for life. This measure places the country at the forefront of the 
fight against smoking. Following this decision, the association Nofumadores.org has called for political consensus in Spain to replicate this model.

The organization has praised the step taken by the United Kingdom, which it describes as a decision “of historic significance, on a similar level to the abolition of slavery by the British Parliament in 1807.”

Nofumadores.org advocates for the implementation of a “smoke-free” model that would drastically reduce diseases and deaths associated with tobacco use.

According to them, British legislation establishes a progressive system whereby the legal age to purchase tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches will increase each year . Thus, anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, will be legally barred from purchasing these products at any point in their life. This is an initiative that the association has been advocating for in Spain since 2020.

In this context, Raquel Fernández Megina, president of Nofumadores.org, is asking the government to include this gradual abolition in the reform of the Tobacco Law currently being processed. She also urges political parties to act with foresight to reach a consensus that will protect future generations from nicotine addiction.