No one wants to see another generation of smokers, and protecting children from taking up nicotine products must remain paramount. But passing this law was only the start of the process. As well as the Generational Sales Ban, the act creates powers and sets up secondary legislation that will determine whether these measures prove workable and these aims are achievable. Britain still has 5.3 million adult smokers1, so the new laws must be up to the challenge of getting people permanently off cigarettes, as well as protecting children.
Smarter regulation can accelerate the decline of smoking and clamp down on the UK’s rampant illicit market. That is why the consultations arising from the act, which are due to be announced soon, are so important. They are the chance to strengthen the framework, not just tidy up the details. Done well, they can protect young people, crack down on illegal and irresponsible operators, and do more to help adult smokers switch. We hope the government will use them to build a regime that is tougher on products that appeal to children, and also on those irresponsible retailers who sell nicotine products to them.
The UK has required alcohol licences for hundreds of years, so it is absurd that anyone can still sell cigarettes and vapes in 2026. One of the consultations will look at licensing for all tobacco and nicotine sales, and it cannot come soon enough. How can anyone argue against only ‘fit and proper’ retailers selling nicotine products?
The generational sales ban, advertising restrictions, and any future rules on flavours, packaging, or product design will ultimately be enforced in shops, so controlling who sells these products is critical.
A credible – rigorously enforced – licensing regime would raise the bar for entry, create clear accountability, and give Trading Standards far stronger tools than it has today.
We’ve all read about organised criminal gangs flooding our communities with illicit tobacco and nicotine products, using ‘front’ shops to push them onto local high streets, while laundering money from other criminal enterprises such as hard drugs, people smuggling, and knock-off goods. One-in-three cigarettes smoked in the UK is now illicit – the second-biggest illicit market in Europe. However, enforcement remains patchy – according to geographies – and deterrents are minimal.
Recent additional investment is a drop in the ocean compared to what’s required to get a grip on this spiralling trade in illicit goods. Our undercover operatives are out week after week, gathering evidence and intelligence, and in 20 years of monitoring, they have never seen the market so out of control. It also denies the Treasury of almost £4.5bn of income per year2 – several times the total expenditure on Trading Standards.
An effective scheme would need to cover all sellers, including online retailers; it would be self-funded through fees (and recovered duty) to support consistent enforcement; it could attach responsibility
to individuals as well as premises; and the penalties would need to be strong enough to deter offending and remove irresponsible retailers from the market for good.
We all need to work together to end smoking and protect our high streets. These consultations are the government’s chance to prove that its ambition is serious. If ministers create a credible licensing regime, appropriately fund Trading Standards, and help adult smokers move away from cigarettes, the Tobacco and Vapes Act could become more than a symbolic victory. If they do not, illegal products, irresponsible operators, and smoking will continue to fill the void.
To find out more about how we are delivering a smoke-free future visit: www.pmi.com
References
1. ONS: Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2024
2. KPMG Report on Illicit Tobacco and Nicotine Consumption in Europe 2025