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"Smoking age increased to 18"

The Sun

THE legal age for buying tobacco is to be raised from 16 to 18, the Government announced.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said the new law would come into effect from October 1, with the current one dating back to 1908.

Government statistics show that 9% of young people aged between 11 and 15 smoke - down from 13% in 1996.

With tobacco and alcohol illegal for under-18s, retailers should further be helped to comply with the law, the Department of Health said.

England and Wales will now move into line with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

The Government launched a public consultation in July on whether the limit should be raised to 17 or 18 or left as it is.

Ms Flint said: "Smoking is dangerous at any age, but the younger people start, the more likely they are to become life-long smokers and to die early."

"Someone who starts smoking aged 15 is three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their late 20s."

The Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England Survey 2004, revealed that 70% of 11 to 15-year-old smokers buy their cigarettes from small shops such as newsagents.

While the NHS spends around 1.7 billion each year on treating smoking-related diseases. According to ASH, tobacco taxation amounts to 10.5 billion per year.

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Comments anyone? Do you think this will help cut the number of underage smokers? Do we have any smokers here? At what age did you pick up the habit?

I don't smoke, as I simply detest the taste of tobacco. The smell of good cigars I don't mind, but inhaling the stuff... no thanks. Am I happy to see this ban? Well if it stops people of a young age taking up smoking, fine... it probably won't though, as enforcing such a law could prove tricky, and will just mean that as is the case with alcohol, it'll be kids getting people to buy ciggies for them...