LONDON, U.K.: On April 21, Parliament passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that ensures children born after December 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, who had been campaigning for decades in favor of such legislation, said that smoking and the serious harm it causes will definitely come to an end with the bill.

The law still needs formal approval from King Charles III before it comes into force. It will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including their flavors and packaging.

Right now, it is illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco, or vapes to anyone under 18. But under the new law, the minimum age to buy cigarettes will increase every year, meaning most young people today may never be allowed to buy them in their lifetime.

This makes the United Kingdom one of the strictest countries in the world on smoking. A similar law was passed in New Zealand in 2022, but it was later repealed by a new government.

Smoking in Britain has dropped sharply since the 1970s, but about 6.4 million people, or around 13 percent of the population, still smoke.

Officials say smoking causes about 80,000 deaths each year in the UK and is still the leading preventable cause of death, illness, and disability.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that children in the UK will become part of the first "smoke-free generation," protected from lifelong addiction and harm.