UK can't buy cigarettes since 2009...First Gateway Passes 'Non-Smoking Generation' Bill

A bill to create a non-smoking generation in the UK has passed the primary gateway in Parliament.

The British House of Commons handed the bill to the next stage of the House of Commons review with a vote of 415 to 47 in favour of the second reading of the "Cigarette and E-cigarette Bill" on Wednesday local time, according to Reuters.

According to the bill, tobacco should not be sold to those born on January 1, 2009 (now 15 years old) and those born thereafter.

The sale of cigarettes to minors is still prohibited, but if the bill is passed, those born in 2009 and later will not be able to buy them as adults.

A similar bill was pushed by the former Conservative government and passed the first gateway in the House of Commons in April, but it was canceled when an early general election was announced and parliament dissolved.

The new legislation also gives the government the power to block smoking in outdoor spaces outside children's playgrounds, schools and hospitals.

It also included regulations such as restrictions on e-cigarette advertising, prohibition on the sale of e-cigarettes from vending machines, and restrictions on the taste or packaging of e-cigarettes that minors may prefer.

The British government initially tried to put a ban on smoking in outdoor areas of bars and cafes into the bill, but withdrew it in light of the impact on the service industry.

"The number of minors who smoke e-cigarettes is increasing at an alarming rate, which requires urgent intervention," Health Secretary Wes Streeting said. "This bill will allow minors to avoid life trapped in addiction."

The bill goes to the Senate after a committee stage and a third reading in the House of Representatives, where opponents may demand amendments to the bill during the review process.

Some members of the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and the British Reform Party, who oppose the bill, point out that it overly restricts individual freedom.