Britain to ban tobacco sales for life for younger generations – Finland takes different approach

Britain is set to become the second country in the world to permanently ban tobacco sales to anyone born after 2008, while Finland is pursuing a different strategy to achieve a smoke-free future, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The UK Parliament has approved a law prohibiting the purchase of tobacco for life for those born in 2009 or later, effectively targeting current 17-year-olds and younger. The ban, awaiting final approval from King Charles III, follows a similar measure by the Maldives, which in November prohibited tobacco sales to anyone born after 2007.

Finland, however, will not adopt an outright ban. Instead, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) proposes raising the legal age for buying tobacco from 18 to 20 and increasing tobacco taxes. Otto Ruokolainen, a THL specialist, argues that most smoking begins before age 20, making an age limit increase a more practical solution.

“Raising the age limit has been discussed for years but isn’t currently advancing,” Ruokolainen said. He acknowledged Britain’s lifetime ban as “understandable,” given tobacco’s long-known health risks, but emphasized Finland’s preference for incremental measures like tax hikes, which have proven effective in reducing tobacco use.

Finland remains the only country with a legally binding goal to become tobacco- and nicotine-free by 2030. Despite progress—smoking rates have declined—nicotine product use, particularly among vocational school students, has surged. Daily use of nicotine pouches reaches 24% among boys and 15% among girls in these schools, compared to 9% of boys and 4–5% of girls in comprehensive and upper secondary schools.

Britain’s new law also restricts vaping in areas like school grounds, playgrounds, and cars carrying children. Meanwhile, Finland’s strategy relies on stricter age controls and taxation to curb nicotine use among youth.