Lawmakers in the U.K. Have Passed a Bill To Ban Smoking For Anyone Born After 2008

In the U.K., the phrase "smoke 'em if you got 'em" will no longer apply to those born after 2008. That's because lawmakers have passed a historic bill making it illegal for anyone born after 2008 to purchase tobacco and vapes, in what appears to be a first-of-its-kind piece of legislation aimed at creating the first smoke-free generation.

While the bill has cleared two of the judicial bodies needed to sign the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into law, there are still some i's to dot and t's to cross.

That being said, it doesn't sound like there is anything stopping the legislation from becoming the law of the land in the U.K., despite protests from retailers and tobacco lobbyists who worry that this will ultimately destroy the industry.

The bill seems poised to be a major win for legislators who are working towards making the U.K. completely smoke-free by 2030. Curious to learn more about the U.K.'s smoking ban for anyone born after 2008? Keep reading to find out more.

A final draft of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has made its way through parliament, and it features language that both the Commons and Lords have agreed on, making this a massive step towards becoming the law of the land. When that happens — according to The Independent, the bill is just waiting on royal assent, which is when a monarch formally gives their approval — the U.K. government will be able to do a deep dive into the regulation of tobacco products, including flavors and packaging.

All of this is in an effort to prevent those ages 17 and younger — or folks born prior to Jan. 1, 2009 — from ever being legally allowed to pick up smoking, even after they reach the country's legal age to purchase tobacco products.

The move is garnering praise, especially when it comes to public health, with the health minister saying that the decision will "save lives" and serve as "the biggest public health intervention in a generation," according to The Independent.

According to the London Tobacco Alliance, the U.K. is working on reducing smoking rates from 13.5 percent to 5 percent. This is due to the fact that the region sees an estimated 64,000 deaths a year as a result of nicotine and tobacco use.

But the goal to be completely smoke-free by 2030 is about more than that, according to the website, and lawmakers and activists also hope that eliminating smoking will also help alleviate things like illnesses and air pollution in the process.

They estimate that this could save National Health Service (NHS) roughly 2.4 billion euros (or 2.8 billion dollars) as a result.

However, the London Tobacco Alliance warns that there's still a lot of work to be done, and estimates that the goal of a smoke-free society won't likely be reachable until 2044 in many low-income areas where smoking is still fairly common.