The minimum age for tobacco was last raised from 16 to 18 in England, Scotland and Wales in 2007. Smoking in enclosed public spaces and in the workplace was declared illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the same year, following the previous year`s Scottish legislation. A government-commissioned study recommended raising the legal age to buy cigarettes in England by one year a year. It is also illegal for retailers and adults to purchase e-cigarettes or e-liquids for those under 18. LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) – The legal age for selling cigarettes in England should be raised by one year each year until no one can buy tobacco products, according to a study commissioned by the government on Thursday. The survey did not include 16- and 17-year-olds, who were most directly affected by the increase in the age for legal tobacco purchases. The results are robust because the sample size was sufficient to detect a relative reduction in smoking prevalence of 10% in the non-FSM group compared to the FMS group (at 80% potency at 5% significance level). However, the sample size did not allow us to verify whether the legislation reduced the amount of cigarettes smoked. The study used WSF eligibility, which is assessed based on parents` income and employment status, as a proxy indicator for the ESS. This measure has been used for this purpose in health research,16 17 but has been criticized for not adequately covering all children from unemployed or low-income households.18 This result may mean that there may have been some heterogeneity in the SES of children in the comparison group, meaning that significant outcomes were less likely. It is illegal for an adult to buy cigarettes from you, or for a retailer to sell them if you are under that age.
Raising the legal age to buy tobacco has been associated with a decrease in regular smoking among young people in England and appears to have similar effects across different socio-economic groups. The tobacco industry has spoken out against the potential lifetime ban, with the Tobacco Manufacturers Association saying it deprives adult consumers of their rights and could lead people to illegal and unregulated products. While it has not yet been announced whether vapes will fall under the age changes of smoking, one of the 15 proposed changes is to promote vapes as an alternative to cigarettes to help people “quit.” A TMA spokesperson told Sky News: “By the age of 18, adults are aware of the risks associated with smoking and should have free access to a legal product.” Mr Khan`s recommendation to raise the legal smoking age by one year each year will lead adult smokers to unregulated and untaxed products from illegal channels. In another radical change for smokers, tobacco products could be banned from duty-free shops at airports across the country to prevent people from stocking up on cheap cigarettes. The data used in this study come from the SDDU (Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England) survey. The survey is conducted by the National Centre for Social Research and the National Foundation for Research in Education. The SDDU is an annual survey that provides national estimates of smoking behaviour among young people aged 11 to 15 in England. The survey methods are described in detail elsewhere.9 In short, the survey is conducted in secondary schools consisting of 12 strata (type of school: comprehensive school/grammar/secondary/private; Gender of students: boys/girls/mixed) in the National Foundation for Educational Research database. The database contains details of all schools in England. The schools that participated in the survey reflect the composition of schools in England in general. A random sample of 35 students in grades 7 to 11 from participating schools will be invited to complete the survey simultaneously in a classroom under “Exam Conditions”.
The survey covers a number of basic measures and, since 2000, has included detailed questions about where students can get cigarettes and how difficult it is to shop in stores on an annual basis.