The Tobacco and Vapes Act: How Does It Affect You?

• The Act introduces a smoke-free generation in the UK with those born after 1 January 2009 never legally allowed to buy tobacco products.
• Retailers, online and offline, that want to sell nicotine or tobacco products will have to be licensed.
• The Act grants the government the power to regulate the flavours, marketing, packaging and strength of nicotine pouches and vapes.

Some of the new regulations are already in force, but many of the exact details of the new laws and regulations are still to be decided.

Here, we set out the most important parts of the Act, what their current status is, and how you can give your opinions on some proposed laws.

The flagship initiative of the Act, the generational ban means it will be illegal to sell tobacco products to anybody born after 1 January 2009. This will create a generation of UK citizens who can never legally purchase a tobacco product.

Status: Already implemented, the ban will come into force on 1 January 2027.

The Act gives the government the power to regulate the flavours of nicotine products, including pouches and vapes. While there are concerns that they may choose to ban particular flavours, it is possible they will instead regulate how some flavours are described.

 For example, strawberry flavour might be allowed, but strawberry marshmallow cheesecake may be banned. This is to discourage products with flavours that are more likely to appeal to younger people.

Status: Not yet decided. There will be a public consultation about the new flavour rules before decisions are made. Check in with Haypp.com to find out how to submit your opinion to the consultation.

Because nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco and are not inhaled, they have existed in a legal grey area in the UK. Strictly speaking, there has been no legal age limit on who could purchase pouches.

Haypp and other responsible retailers have always maintained strict age-gating technologies and processes, but unfortunately some unscrupulous retailers, both online and corner shops, have been selling pouches to people who are underage.

The Act means that it will now be illegal to sell any nicotine product to someone under the age of 18. Good news for responsible retailers.

Status: Implemented. From 29 October 2026, it will be illegal to sell nicotine pouches or other nicotine products to anyone under 18.

The advertising of nicotine pouches and other nicotine will be banned from 1 June 2027. This ban includes all types of advertising, from billboards and magazine ads to radio and online marketing.

Status: The ban on advertising has been decided, and it will come into effect on 1 June 2027. However, the specific details of ban are still to be decided.

The Act will allow government to introduce new rules on the packaging of pouches and other nicotine products. This includes the branding, images, and logos that can appear on a package.

New requirements for health and product information could also be introduced. The shape, way of opening the package, and number of pouches contained in a package could also be changed by the new rules.

Status: Not yet decided. There will be a public consultation later in 2026 to get people’s views on how the new rules on product packaging will be implemented. Check in on Haypp.com for information on having your opinion heard.

At the moment, there is no legal limit on the amount of nicotine that a pouch can contain. There are pouches on the market advertising concerningly high levels of nicotine, some up to 150mg per pouch.

The government will now have the power to set an upper limit on nicotine levels. Haypp Group believes that a 20mg upper limit of nicotine per pouch is a sensible standard to set.

Status: Not yet decided, you can still have your say. Check in with Haypp.com to see when you can have your views heard.

Providing free product samples to adult nicotine users has become common across the UK. Awareness of nicotine pouches is low amongst UK nicotine users, and free samples have been seen as a way to encourage a transition away from smoking to less harmful pouches.

Free distribution of nicotine products will now be banned.

Status: Decided. From 29 October 2026, it will no longer be legal to distribute free product samples or vouchers for products.

While nicotine pouches are often referred to as ‘snus’ in the UK, technically they are very different products.

Snus is the traditional Swedish oral tobacco product which has existed for over 600 years. It has been banned in the UK since 1992. Many people use the term snus to describe nicotine pouches, but they do not contain tobacco and are regulated differently.

A ban on the manufacture and sale of tobacco snus is included in the new Act, but the product has been illegal for decades.

Status: A snus ban is included in the new Act, but this is not a new law as snus is already illegal in the UK.

One of the most important parts of the Act, retailers will need to have a licence to sell tobacco or nicotine products.

This will apply to both online retailers and brick-and-mortar shops. Like alcohol regulation, both the person and the premises selling nicotine will need to be licensed.

Status: Partially decided. The requirement to have a licence to sell nicotine has been decided, but the details of the licensing scheme will be decided after a public consultation in 2027.

The Tobacco and Vapes Act is a landmark piece of legislation that will have a big impact on the lives of people who consume nicotine pouches or other nicotine products.

As further consultations are announced, consumers will have opportunities to share their views. Check Haypp.com for updates on how to take part.