# Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, Section 118: Publishing advertisements

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.
Status: prospective

(1) A person commits an offence if—
(a) the person, acting in the course of business, publishes an advertisement in the United Kingdom whose purpose is or effect will be to promote—
(i) a tobacco product,
(ii) a herbal smoking product,
(iii) cigarette papers,
(iv) a vaping product, or
(v) a nicotine product, and
(b) the person knows or has reason to suspect—
(i) that what they are publishing is or contains the advertisement, and
(ii) that the advertisement has that purpose or will have that effect.
(2) A person who commits an offence under this section is liable—
(a) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or a fine, or both;
(b) on summary conviction—
(i) in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court, or a fine, or both;
(ii) in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;
(iii) in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/18/section/118 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/tobacco-and-vapes-act-2026/section-118
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.