The UK wants to prevent young people from ever smoking

In a bid to create a smoke-free generation, the UK government plans to gradually raise the legal age for buying cigarettes until it reaches 21. This means that anyone born after January 1, 2009, will never be able to legally purchase tobacco products in the UK.

The government is also considering new restrictions on e-cigarettes, including a ban on single-use vapes, restrictions on packaging and flavors, and even a new tax.

The UK's current legal age to buy tobacco is 18, but the government believes that raising the age will help to prevent young people from taking up smoking in the first place. Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and costs the UK economy £17 billion (€20 billion) annually.

Nearly 9 in 10 people who smoke say they started before the age of 21, and worldwide, tobacco kills up to half of its users, more than 8 million people each year.

Australia has banned disposable vapes and plans to tax tobacco an extra 5%. Around 40 other countries have levied taxes on e-cigarettes.