Australia could be a step closer to becoming the first country to phase out the sale of cigarettes, following a motion in the Tasmanian upper house.
The state's Legislative Council has backed a move that would prevent cigarette sales to anyone born after the year 2000.
The ban would take effect once those people turned 18, when the lawful age for purchasing cigarettes would be raised each year.
The result would be a generation never able to legally buy them.
The move is reportedly also being considered in Finland and Singapore.
In Tasmania it comes less than a week after the High Court ruled in favour of the federal government's introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes.
The state's health minister Michelle O'Byrne says the concept of a smoke-free generation has already been referred to the Tasmanian Commissioner for Children for consideration.
"I think an arbitrary ban on smoking would be very difficult to police," she said.
"However, saying that those people who sell cigarettes legally cannot sell cigarettes to a certain age is appropriate. We do it now.
"What the smoke-free generation would say is that, potentially, anyone from the year 2000 would not be able to buy cigarettes ever."
The motion, moved by independent MP Ivan Dean, was immediately backed by the Cancer Council.
Spokesman Simon Barnsley said most smokers took up the habit before they turned 18.
"It is time for us to be aspirational in our management of our health issues," he said.
"It's time we started to lead the charge against tobacco for the future of our youth and the future of our health system."
Mr Dean said he had convinced other MPs his motion had nothing to do with prohibition.
"This is a case of it being incremental," he told AAP.
"It would occur over a long period of time and it would only impact on those who can't already access tobacco products."
The move is the latest in a spate of social reforms being debated in Tasmania, including same-sex marriage, a forced adoptions apology and voluntary euthanasia.
Tasmania has the highest rates of smoking in Australia.
