Scientific American focused this past summer on smoking’s purported comeback. A new generation of Americans, who never lived in a world where people could enjoy a cigarette inside a restaurant, are being subliminally lured into lighting up—not through ads or slogans, but with a steady dose of celebrity photographs.

When we asked Canadians last month, just over one in five (21 per cent, unchanged since April 2024) said they smoked tobacco over the past year, while fewer smoked marijuana (18 per cent, down one percentage point) or vaped (16 per cent, unchanged). Seven per cent of Canadians (up three percentage points) consumed chewable tobacco, while 17 per cent (up two percentage points) tried marijuana in a non-smoking form, such as edibles.

While national averages did not move much, there is a significant generational gap. More than seven in 10 Canadians aged 55 and over (71 per cent) did not partake in any of these five activities in the past year, compared with 55 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 39 per cent of those aged 18 to 34.

About one in four Canadians aged 18 to 34 smoked tobacco (25 per cent, up five points), smoked marijuana (26 per cent, up one point) or vaped (27 per cent, unchanged). Those articles about Generation Z “making smoking cool again” appear to have some data to back them up.

In 2024, the United Kingdom introduced groundbreaking legislation that was ratified earlier this year. Under the new law, which comes into force in 2027, the legal age to purchase cigarettes in the U.K.—currently set at 18 years—will increase by one year every year. People born in or after 2009 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes.

By a three-to-one margin, Canadians think the U.K. is on the right track on keeping young people away from tobacco. Two-thirds (66 per cent) have a positive opinion of the British legislation, while 21 per cent hold negative views and 14 per cent are undecided.

Favourable opinions on the U.K.’s push to make the next generation “smoke-free” encompass majorities among Canadians who smoked in the past year (58 per cent) and those who did not (68 per cent).

Just over three in five Canadians (61 per cent) say Canada should consider similar legislation, while 25 per cent disagree and 14 per cent are not sure.

The prospect of a law that would effectively ensure that no person born after 2009 is able to purchase cigarettes in Canada is endorsed by majorities of Canadians aged 18 to 34 (65 per cent), aged 35 to 54 (59 per cent) and aged 55 and over (58 per cent).

Regionally, support for a ban on cigarette purchases among young people is strong in B.C. (73 per cent), but also finds sizeable support in Quebec (63 per cent), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (60 per cent), Ontario (59 per cent), Alberta (54 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (also 54 per cent).

Support is also evident among smokers: 52 per cent of those who smoked in the past year favour a similar Canadian ban, compared with 63 per cent of non-smokers.

While Canada’s federal government has not committed to changing existing guidelines on tobacco sales, the public has reacted well to a regulation on the books since 2024. Just over seven in 10 Canadians (71 per cent) agree with the mandate requiring to printed warning labels on individual cigarettes sold in Canada. This includes 66 per cent of smokers and 72 per cent of non-smokers.

Currently, both Canadian smokers and non-smokers view the U.K.’s “Generational Smoking Ban” legislation worth emulating.

Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from Sept. 21-23, 2026, among 1,003 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.