New measures to protect children and young people and reduce preventable deaths.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto has welcomed the introduction of proposed legislation to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 and allow tougher measures on vaping.
All governments in the UK agreed to bring forward a UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill as part of their response to the 4 Nations Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation.
The UK-wide legislation, introduced in Parliament on Wednesday 20 March will gradually increase the age of sale, making it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. This means that children born on or after this date – those turning 15 this year and younger – will never be able to buy cigarettes.
The Bill also includes new powers to regulate displays, contents, flavours and retail packaging of vapes and nicotine products, allowing restrictions to target flavours marketed at children and to move vapes out of sight of children and away from products like sweets.
It will also remove existing Scottish provisions which make it an offence for a person under 18 to purchase tobacco products.
The Scottish Government has already published proposals to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland using existing environmental powers. If agreed by the Scottish Parliament, this would come into effect on 1 April 2025.