Legal age for buying cigarettes could be 21
Proposals will be put out to consultation to raise the legal age of smoking before details of a new health bill are settled.
The current fine for selling selling tobacco to anyone under the age of 16 is £2500. With indications that ministers intend to raise that age to 18, the Ddepartment of Health's Minister for Reform, Lord Warner, says that " it would not be inconceivable" that this is raised to the age of 21.
Although the limit has not yet been set, Lord Warner has indicated in the House of Lords that "if society demanded it" the legal age for for smoking could be raised as high as 21.
Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, who backed the exemption for smoking in public places, for private clubs but not for non-food pubs in the last health bill, has said that raising the age to 21 would “infringe civil liberties”.
ASH, one of the largest anti-smoking pressure groups in the UK, are reported to have said that, raising the limit to 21 would not have much impact on young people smoking. This would also make it “harder to enforce” a ban on sales to underage smokers..
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