The British government will introduce a bill in Parliament on Wednesday to fulfill its pledge to phase out smoking cessation among young people by banning the sale of tobacco to future generations.

If passed without amendments, the Tobacco and Vaping Bill would be one of the toughest anti-tobacco laws in the world and would prohibit the legal sale of tobacco to children aged 15 or younger this year.

The government says smoking itself will not be criminalized. Therefore, anyone who can legally purchase tobacco now will not be prevented from doing so in the future.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement: “If we want to build a better future for our children, we need to tackle the single largest completely preventable cause of ill health, disability and death. : Smoking.”

Critics called the move “unconservative” and former prime minister Liz Truss was among the ruling party members who said they would vote against the legislation.

The bill is expected to pass despite opposition, with the opposition Labor Party saying it will support the measure.

Last month, New Zealand introduced a similar law banning the sale of tobacco to people born after January 1, 2009, but the law was repealed by the country’s new coalition government.

The British government says smoking costs the UK’s national health service and economy an estimated £17 billion ($21.63 billion) a year.

The sharp rise in e-cigarette use among non-smokers and young people has forced the UK government – which supports e-cigarette use as a way to reduce the harm of smoking – to consider tighter controls.

Under the proposed legislation, there would also be new powers to change the way e-cigarettes are displayed in shops and restrict e-cigarette flavors and packaging specifically marketed to children in a bid to tackle the growth of youth e-cigarettes.