Britain embraces a Massachusetts experiment on tobacco regulation — just as the state might roll it back

By Henry L. Dorkin and Katharine SilbaughMay 19, 2026

Dorkin is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both general pediatrics and pediatric pulmonology. Silbaugh is professor of law at Boston University.

The United Kingdom just adopted a tobacco-free generation law. Retailers can still sell tobacco to existing customers, but they will never be permitted to sell it to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009.

In Massachusetts, 24 communities already use a similar “nicotine free generation” (NFG) birthdate phaseout of tobacco sales, including cigarettes, vapes, and pouches. What seemed to some an oddball local experiment here has become the leading edge of a public health revolution. Britain adds 69 million people to the 659,000 Massachusetts residents protected by this tobacco endgame.

In 2021, Brookline became the first to protect its next generation with the birthdate phaseout. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected a retailer challenge in 2024, and then 23 more communities adopted the policy — a healthy mix of urban, suburban, and rural municipalities demonstrating NFG’s broad appeal.