Scotland’s Key Tobacco Control Dates
Welcome to our briefing on the key dates of tobacco control in Scotland over the last 20 years. Read more about what legislation came in to place and when, such as the smoke-free legislation and a ban on smoking in prisons.
Adult smoking prevalence alongside key tobacco control dates in Scotland over the last 20 years
07/11/2002 - The (UK) Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 is passed. Implemented in 2003, the Act prohibited tobacco advertising on billboards, in the print media, internet advertising and new promotions.
21/12/2004 - The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Point of Sale) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 comes into force, introducing regulations regarding displaying tobacco or smoking-related products in retailers.
26/03/2006 - Smoking is banned in the majority of enclosed public places in Scotland by the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 30 June 2005.
01/10/2007 - The minimum purchase age for tobacco increases from 16 to 18.
01/10/2007 - The UK becomes the first European Union (EU) state to introduce graphic health warnings to all tobacco products. Under the regulations, all cigarette packets sold in the UK after 1 October 2009 were required to carry the new warnings. All other tobacco products had until 1 October 2010 to comply.
This year marks the 19th anniversary of the indoor smoking ban coming into place in Scotland.
27/01/2010Â - The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 is passed. Measures in the Act include making it an offence for anyone over 18 to buy tobacco for people under 18, also known as proxy purchasing. It also bans tobacco vending machines; introduces further restrictions on the display of tobacco products (tobacco to be out of sight in retailers) and introduces the Scottish Tobacco Retailers Register.
01/04/2011 - The Scottish Tobacco Retailers Register opens, requiring any retailer wishing to sell tobacco to sign up.
17/11/2011 - All cigarettes sold in the EU are required to meet new EU safety standards for cigarettes reduced ignition propensity from this date i.e. designed to self-extinguish when left unpuffed.
27/03/2013 - The Scottish Government launches a new tobacco control strategy setting 2034 as the target date for a tobacco-free Scotland, making it one of five countries to have an end-game target along with Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.
29/04/2013 - The tobacco display ban enters into force for larger retailers in Scotland, along with a ban on self-serving cigarette vending machines. Smaller retailers had until 6 April 2015 to comply with the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Act.
20/05/2016 - The revised EU Tobacco Products Directive is implemented, bringing in various new and updated regulations for tobacco products and e-cigarettes, including restricting tobacco flavours and introducing standardised packaging.
20/05/2016 - A ban on flavour tobacco (excluding menthol) comes into force, regulated by The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (UK).
05/12/2016 - Smoking in vehicles carrying anyone under the age of 18 becomes illegal under the Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Act.
01/04/2017 - New measures come into effect under the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act including: prohibiting the sale of nicotine vapour products (NVPs) to under 18s; requiring retailers who sell NVPs to have an age verification policy; prohibiting under 18s from selling tobacco or NVPs unless authorised by a responsible person, and extending the Scottish Tobacco Retailers Register to include NVP retailers.
20/05/2017 - All tobacco packaging sold in the UK must be in standardised packaging, as set out in The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015.
30/11/2018 - Smoking is banned in all prisons in Scotland. Until this date, in line with the smoking in enclosed public places ban in 2006, prisoners were only allowed to smoke in their cells with their doors closed.
20/05/2020 - Exactly four years after the ban on flavoured tobacco, the ban on menthol-flavoured tobacco was implemented.
05/09/2022 - New measures introduced as part of the Smoking the Prohibition of Smoking Outside Hospital Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2022, banned smoking within 15 metres of NHS hospital buildings.
05/11/2024 - The UK Government’s four-nations Tobacco and Vapes Bill is introduced to the UK Parliament. The Bill proposes a new law with a range of measures on tobacco and nicotine products. These include making it an offence to sell tobacco products to people born on or after 1 January 2009 and restricting the advertising and promotions of heated tobacco products, herbal smoking products and nicotine products. Restrictions on the flavours, descriptions and packaging of these products could also be introduced, following public consultations.
You can download a PDF file of the 'Scotland's Key Tobacco Control Dates' factsheet which includes references.
You can download a file of the graph above - please do not make changes to it's content or format and credit ASH Scotland when using.
