Smoking age rise announced
Legal minimum age to purchase tobacco to be raised by two years to 18 in October
Monday, 01, Jan 2007 12:00
The minimum legal age at which tobacco can be purchased is to rise to 18, the government has announced.
It said raising the minimum age by two years from October 1st will help stop young people becoming addicted to nicotine by making it easier for retailers to spot underage smokers.
The Department of Health (DoH) also believes that increases the minimum age at which cigarettes can be bought will underline how the health risks of smoking are comparable with that of alcohol.
Teenagers have been legally able to purchase tobacco at the age of 16 for almost a century in England and Wales, but from October the two nations will come in line with other western countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Public health minister Caroline Flint today said that although the proportion of young people between 11 and 15 who smoke from had been cut from 13 to nine per cent, it was still "too easy" for underage smokers to buy tobacco.
"Buying cigarettes has been too easy for under-16s and this is partly due to retailers selling tobacco to those under the legal age," she said.
"The law change demonstrates our determination to stop this and to reduce the number of teenagers who smoke. This, in turn, will reduce the number of people with preventable diseases and the incidence of health inequalities," Ms Flint added.
The government insisted it has fully consulted the retail industry, as well as members of the public and the NHS, in the build-up to the legislation.
Commenting on the new law, Paul Ramsden, deputy chief executive of the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), said: "The TSI supports the change to the legal age limit on sales of tobacco.
"The institute has previously called for such action based upon the growing concerns about the health risks of smoking among children and teenagers."
Later this year smoking in public places will be banned in England and Wales, while government and NHS buildings are being designated as smoke-free from today.