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cigarette smoking A man holds a lit cigarette while smoking in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (Jeff Chiu\/Associated Press) <\/p>\nA U.K. tobacco bill targets a smoke-free generation but faces enforcement questions. Annie Bergeron-Oliver reports on the implications and Canada\u2019s response. <\/p>\n
OTTAWA \u2013 Health experts are encouraging the federal government to consider introducing a lifetime ban on the purchase of cigarettes for people 17 and under after lawmakers in the United Kingdom approved a bill to do just that. <\/p>\n
The proposed U.K. law, dubbed the \u201cTobacco and Vapes Bill,\u201d aims to stop anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, now aged 17, from taking up smoking. It has been approved by both houses of Britain\u2019s Parliament but still requires royal assent. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a step in the right direction and we\u2019re really encouraged to see this,\u201d said Dr. Lesley James, the director of health policy and systems in Ontario for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping officials in Canada will see this and see what can be done here within our borders, to see what can be done to address smoking.\u201d <\/p>\n
cigarette smoking A man holds a lit cigarette while smoking in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (Jeff Chiu\/Associated Press) <\/p>\n
Tobacco use remains a significant preventable cause of premature death in Canada, with the government estimating that approximately 46,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses every year. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe overwhelming majority of people who smoke began as underage youth,\u201d said Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society. \u201cIf we can prevent youth from starting, we have a huge impact long term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada has set a goal<\/a> of reducing tobacco use to less than five per cent by 2035. The 2024 Canadian Community Health Survey estimates 11 per cent of Canadians aged 18 years and over reported smoking. <\/p>\n When it comes to vaping, data from Statistics Canada<\/a> suggests one in 10 Canadians aged 20 to 24, and one in 50 aged 25 and older, use a vape every day.<\/p>\n Ottawa cardiologist Dr. Hassan Mir has extensively studied the effects of smoking and vaping, and says it\u2019s among the worst things for the human body. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is not many things, if anything, that smoking won\u2019t drastically make worse,\u201d said Mir. \u201cIt\u2019s why I often say smoking is the most harmful thing you can do for your health and quitting is the best thing you can do for your health.\u201d <\/p>\n Mir, who is familiar with the U.K. law, said he believes it could help reduce tobacco consumption among youth. Canada, he said, should consider adopting a similar bill that helps prevent young Canadians from starting smoking in the first place. <\/p>\n \u201cAt the Heart Institute, we support about 30,000 people per year to help them quit smoking. But the reality is that we\u2019re seeing them too far into the addiction,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need upstream interventions that can hopefully reduce the funnel of people that are addicted to smoking in nicotine.\u201d <\/p>\n By restricting access to cigarettes, Mir says a generation of people will not be able to buy them through conventional mechanisms, making it less likely youth will get addicted to nicotine. <\/p>\n \u201cI think the reality is that, as we try to address the harms of smoking and the continued prevalence, not just in Canada but across the world, we need to think of stronger policies and regulations,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n The United Kingdom isn\u2019t the first territory to adopt such a law. In 2022, New Zealand introduced a very similar bill, but it was overturned in 2024 after a new government came into power. <\/p>\n At the time, health experts wrote to Health Canada urging them to consider implementing a similar ban. Ottawa Public Health was among those advocating for the change, writing a letter to Health Canada<\/a> encouraging them to ban an entire generation from being able to purchase Tabacco.<\/p>\n \u201cBy following a similar approach, it is recommended that Canada adapt New Zealand\u2019s approach to reach the same five per cent target,\u201d the memo to Health Canada said at the time. <\/p>\n That memo also asked Health Canada to amend smoking laws to increase the federal minimum age for the purchase of tobacco to 21 years old, with the exception of smoking cessation products. Canadian federal law currently prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 18, though some provinces have introduced stronger rules raising that age to 19, or even 21. <\/p>\n Ottawa Public Health did not make anyone available for an interview request Wednesday about their 2023 memo and about the U.K.\u2019s bill. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WPYAVGHENTKB6LXQDJTWGQXHSE.jpg\")
AM800-NEWS-vaping-vape-getty-1.8674834 An illustration shows a man exhaling smoke from an electronic cigarette in Washington, DC on October 2, 2018. (Photo by EVA HAMBACH\/AFP\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3GGNOUWASXOOF2RSV3RXQ4SFTU.jpg\")
cigarettes-1.2584593 Health experts are encouraging the federal government to consider introducing a lifetime ban on the purchase of cigarettes for people 17 and under. (iStock) What\u2019s the back story? <\/p>\n
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Tabac et sexe oral augmentent le risque de cancer de la bouche Health experts are encouraging the federal government to consider introducing a lifetime ban on the purchase of cigarettes for people 17 and under. (Pexels) <\/p>\n