Over 500,000 children in Wales protected by new tobacco law

Nation.Cymru Team

More than half a million children growing up in Wales today will never legally be sold tobacco under new UK law.

Tobacco is the leading cause of cancer in Wales, with nearly 120 young people in Wales starting smoking every week – the Tobacco and Vapes Act could stop children from ever starting.

Cancer Research UK says new law must be fully implemented, alongside sustained funding for effective support and services to help people who still smoke but wish to stop.

The charity’s researchers first proved the link between tobacco and cancer in the 1950s, and since then has been campaigning to tackle the harms of smoking.

As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is set to become law, Cancer Research UK estimates more than 574,000 children alive today should never be legally sold cigarettes in Wales.

If the new law has the impact hoped for, by 2040, up to 470,000 fewer cigarettes will be smoked each day in Wales.

This world-leading legislation to phase out the legal sale of tobacco will apply to children born on or after 1 January 2009. Not only will it help to stop people developing a deadly addiction, it could also alleviate pressure on the NHS, prevent thousands of cancers and help create Wales’s first ever smokefree generation.

After helping to uncover the link between tobacco and cancer in the 1950s, Cancer Research UK has spent decades researching and campaigning for action to tackle its harms, including new laws to prevent smoking indoors in public places, introducing plain packaging and graphic warnings on cigarette packs, and stopping the marketing of tobacco products. The charity welcomes the new law highlighting the need for it to be fully implemented across the UK.

Historic achievement 

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive officer at Cancer Research UK said:“This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children in Wales will grow up shielded from the lifelong harms of tobacco.

“It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already over stretched health service.

“Today’s milestone is the result of decades of research, tireless campaigning and backing from people whose lives have been devastated by smoking. Governments across the UK must now ensure the Act is implemented fully in every nation, alongside support to help people quit smoking. A future free from the lethal harms of tobacco is firmly within reach.”

Premature death 

Over the past decade, nearly 100,000 people in Wales have lost their lives to cancer. The disease does not only have a devastating personal toll, it also impacts economic productivity. In 2023, premature cancer deaths in Wales resulted in the loss of 16,000 productive years of life, with an estimated cost to the economy of £400m.

Around 10% of adults in Wales still smoke and need help to quit. With the harms of tobacco concentrated in more deprived communities, smoking is the biggest driver of health inequalities.

Cancer Research UK continues to call for the age of sale tobacco policy to be fully implemented and enforced in Wales, alongside sustained funding for stop smoking services, so everyone has access to the tools they need to quit for good.

In December 2025, the Senedd voted in support of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. A further vote will be needed to confirm consent for the final version of the legislation.

Damage of smoking 

Lydia Thomas, who lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales welcomed the new Tobacco and Vapes Act passing in to law. She was heartbroken after her dad George, who had smoked heavily, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and died aged 61 on January 19 2013.

He had experienced various effects from his health from smoking and Lydia found it difficult seeing his health deteriorate.

Lydia, 36, said:“I’ve seen the damage smoking can do.

“Dad truly was my hero and I miss him every day. He loved sport and particularly rugby. I treasure a photo I have of Dad and me at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, watching a rugby match against New Zealand’s All Blacks in 2012, just a few months before he died.

“I have a tattoo on my wrist saying ‘Dad’ to remember him. I would do anything to have extra time with my Dad today. He should still be here. There are so many things I’d like to tell him about my life now but cigarettes ended his life early.

“I welcome this new law. I hope it will make a real difference so in the future people have more time with those they love.”