Public health legislation is set for significant transformation, altering who can purchase tobacco products.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which prevents cigarette sales to individuals born after 1 January 2009, has completed its parliamentary journey.

This means anyone aged 17 or under will never be able to legally purchase cigarettes.

On 14 March, Brighton and Hove City councillor Mitchie Alexander disclosed that local GP records indicate approximately 53,000 residents aged above 15 in Brighton and Hove currently smoke.

The region has the highest smoking prevalence in the South East.

These areas exceed the smoking rates found in cities like Glasgow and towns such as Burnley, which have long been recognised for their significant smoker populations.

Brighton and Hove trails somewhat behind at 13.5 percent, representing a decline of 1.1 percent from the previous figure of 14.6 percent.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting stated that preventative measures prove more effective than treatment, and this legislative change will preserve lives, reduce strain on the health service, and promote national wellbeing.

The legislation is anticipated to deliver sustained advantages throughout the United Kingdom, including East Sussex, where more than 57,000 people smoke.

Earlier this year, East Sussex County Council and Rother District Council established Bexhill Beach and Camber Sands as the inaugural voluntary smoke-free beaches in England, with Pevensey Bay subsequently added.

The initiative seeks to shield children, teenagers, and the natural environment from smoking-related harm.

Rob Tolfree, acting director of East Sussex Public Health, noted that exposure to secondhand smoke poses equal dangers outdoors as indoors, and establishing two smoke-free beaches in the county will discourage beach smoking and safeguard young people from smoking-related health impacts.

Councillor Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council, explained that smoke-free beaches will additionally preserve marine ecosystems and coastal areas from the damage caused by cigarette and tobacco waste entering the ocean.