The Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act ends the advertising and promotion of vaping and nicotine products, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers. Our intention is that this will come into force across the UK from 1 June 2027.
This article explains the rationale for these changes, information on the specific changes, and outlines next steps.
Why are we ending the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products?
The Government is committed to protecting future generations from the risks of nicotine addiction. Whilst there are some existing advertising restrictions on nicotine-containing vapes, non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products have no advertising restrictions.
Evidence shows that marketing and promotion is a factor behind the rise in youth vaping. In 2025, around 55% of children aged 11 to 17 reported awareness of vape promotion in shops, up from 37% in 2022. Young people are also increasingly aware of the promotion of nicotine pouches, growing from 38% of young people being aware in 2024 to 43% in 2025.
Learning from the experience of tobacco control, where partial advertising bans have limited impact, the Government is introducing a comprehensive ban on the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products from 1 June 2027 via the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. The Act has a defence that enables advertising campaigns undertaken on behalf of a public health authority to continue.
What is already in place?
There are long-standing restrictions on tobacco product advertising and sponsorship under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. This does not capture herbal smoking products and cigarette papers.
Advertising for certain vaping products is already prohibited via the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 for television and radio, in newspapers and magazines, and through most online advertising. There is currently no comprehensive ban on the sponsorship of vaping products and advertising is currently permitted for vaping products on billboards, posters, shop windows and on public transport.
There are no current advertising and sponsorship restrictions in place for other nicotine products, such as nicotine pouches.
What is changing?
The Tobacco and Vapes Act introduces a comprehensive ban on the advertising of tobacco products, vaping products, nicotine products, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers, which we intend to bring into effect on 1 June 2027.
The ban will make it an offence for anyone in the course of business to:
publish, design, print or distribute an advertisement (or provide an internet service by means of which an advertisement is published or distributed), or cause the publication, designing, printing or distribution of an advert, where the effect is to promote a tobacco product (including heated tobacco), herbal smoking product, cigarette paper, vaping product or nicotine product; and make a contribution under a sponsorship agreement to which they are a party, where anything done as a result of the agreement is to promote a tobacco product (including heated tobacco), herbal smoking product, cigarette paper, vaping product or nicotine product.The ban includes online advertising, such as paid adverts on websites, as well as advertisements and sponsored posts on social media platforms. Retail websites will still be able to provide factual information about the products they sell.
What about adult smokers who want to quit?
Evidence shows that vapes can play an important role in helping adult smokers to quit. The legislation, therefore, seeks to balance tackling youth vaping with supporting and enabling the role of vapes in smoking cessation.
Businesses will still be able to provide factual, non-promotional information about vaping and nicotine products to consumers, including information displayed on websites. However, content designed to encourage or promote the purchase of these products may be captured by the advertising restrictions.
Public health authorities aren’t in scope of the offences (if not acting in the course of business). For example, pharmacists and GPs will be permitted to promote non-branded vapes if it is part of an arrangement with a public authority for public health purposes.
An exemption is available so businesses can advertise non-branded vapes and nicotine products as part of a public health campaign. For example, pharmacists and GPs can promote vapes where this forms part of an agreed arrangement with a public health authority.
What happens next?
The Government will now prepare the necessary secondary legislation to commence these measures so that they come into effect on 1 June 2027.
Alongside this, guidance will be drafted and published ahead of implementation to help businesses prepare for the changes.
We will also be working with Ofcom and CAP to ensure that the relevant codes are updated.
seen at 10:43, 1 June in Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre.