Legal age for smoking to rise to 18
The legal age for buying tobacco is to be raised from 16 to 18, the Government has announced.
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said the new law would come into effect from October 1. Campaigners welcomed the move, but raised concerns over how the law would be enforced.
Government statistics show that 9% of young people aged between 11 and 15 smoke - down from 13% in 1996.
It wants to drive the figure down even further and believes that raising the limit will make it easier for retailers to spot under-age smokers.
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. A ban on smoking in enclosed public places comes into effect on July 1 but the NHS and Government buildings will be smoke-free from Monday.
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. Buying cigarettes has been too easy for under 16s, and this is partly due to retailers selling tobacco to those under the legal age.
"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."
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association (BMA), said: "Far more needs to be done to discourage children from smoking, and increasing the age limit to 18 would be a step in the right direction. However, the new limit is only going to be effective if it is properly enforced and part of a broad set of actions designed to discourage young people from starting to smoke."
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