17 and under banned from buying cigarettes

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Both chambers of Britain’s parliament have approved a bill that would ban children aged 17 and under from buying cigarettes during their lifetime.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to stop anyone born after 1 January 2009 (now aged 17) from taking up smoking.

Hazel Cheeseman, director of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health, told LBC radio station that the bill was a “decisive turning point for public health.”