Tobacco purchase age rises to 18

The age for the legal sale of tobacco has increased today, rising from 16 to 18 in a bid to prevent younger Britons from purchasing tobacco and to cut the rate of smoking nationwide.

Last week, the government launched a campaign as part of a bid to boost awareness of the law in teenagers and retailers alike.

This move follows the introduction of smokefree legislation in England earlier this year and the planned publication of picture health warnings on cigarette packets during 2008.

Dawn Primarolo, public health minister, said: “We are determined to reduce the number of young people who smoke.

“Raising the legal age of sale to 18 will make it easier for retailers to spot under-age smokers and lead to less young people becoming addicted to nicotine and continuing to smoke into adulthood.”

She added that research has shown that the earlier individuals begin smoking in their life, the more likely they are to smoke throughout their life and die prematurely as a result of their habit.

In August 2007, statistics published by Cancer Research UK revealed that obesity, overexposure to the sun, alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking are contributing to the number of cases of newly-diagnosed cancers in the past decade.