What is the minimum age for buying tobacco products

[JSLTIGER]

18 in the US.

[STEED]

18 in the UK

[Schroeder]

Not sure whether it is still 16 over here. I heard they wanted to raise the age, so maybe it's 18 by now (I don't smoke so I don't care much).

We have the warning labels too and restaurants must have separated smoking-areas (until some judge kills that new law again...).

Tobacco-products also mustn't be advertised on tv.

[Skybird]

Now 18 in Germany for sure, Schroeder.

I think it should be raised to 21, though. Medical statistics show very signficant that if you haven't turned a young person into a smoker by his early 20s, probability that she/he will become a smoker later in her/his life falls by a hopping 80%, or even more.

that'S why tobacco industry was bombarding the young ones with tailored adverts so vehemently. they knew that if they have not turned them into addicts before 20, the battle is lost for them most of the time.

Would like to see alcohol being sold to 21 or older only, too, maybe beer and vine for those being 18-21 only in presence of adult parents (if the the parents are not medically classified as alcoholics). seeing all the youngster drinking like crazy at times annoys me and breaks my heart at the same time. Most people simply are nopt really grown up with 18, and at that age you tick differently, and simply often do not know what you are doing. Not to mention that you do not care. softdrinks including alcohol should be banned and forbidden altogether, period.

[Etienne]

18 here - but then, so's alcohol.

Tobacco companies cannot advertise at all; tobacco products must not be visible to the consumer in a store (You have to specifically ask for a brand), you cannot smoke inside a public building, including restaurant and bars, or withing 9 meters of the door to a public building such as a school or hospital.

They should just ban the stuff altogether. But I guess they make too much money off taxes.

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I think it should be raised to 21, though. Medical statistics show very signficant that if you haven't turned a young person into a smoker by his early 20s, probability that she/he will become a smoker later in her/his life falls by a hopping 80%, or even more.

I'm not sure that would help; people around here start smoking around 14 anyway... It's pretty easy to get smokes even when you're underage.

[peterloo]

In Hong Kong -- 18

However, a minimum age helps nothing in stopping teens from buying tobacco. They may ask someone to buy the cigarette for them, or if they are tall enough, they can simply buy it themselves since nobody gonna check his identity card everytime they buy cigarette and the sales judge their age by their outlook only. Furthermore, some retailers choose to keep a blind eye to this type of activity in order to avoid offending their customers and hurt sales

So, although it may be a good suggestion, I'm afraid that Skybird's idea might not work. Education, might be better, but the overall effect is still low as the youngsters just take it as "propaganda" and dismiss them

[HunterICX]

18 in España

HunterICX

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by JSLTIGER

18 in the US.

Is that a federal law or just where you're at? Here in Utah it's 19.

On the other hand I've just spent the last month doing groundskeeping work at a hospital - a children's hospital. In fact, that's its name: Primary Children's Medical Center. I've done some weeding, some planting, some mowing; but what I've done most of is picking up trash, and most of that is cigarette butts. In the designated smoking area, in the parking terrace, around the main entrance (right in the areas clearly marked 'No Smoking'. I'm betting I pick up at least a thousand butts per week.

People don't care.

[JSLTIGER]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Is that a federal law or just where you're at? Here in Utah it's 19.

On the other hand I've just spent the last month doing groundskeeping work at a hospital - a children's hospital. In fact, that's its name: Primary Children's Medical Center. I've done some weeding, some planting, some mowing; but what I've done most of is picking up trash, and most of that is cigarette butts. In the designated smoking area, in the parking terrace, around the main entrance (right in the areas clearly marked 'No Smoking'. I'm betting I pick up at least a thousand butts per week.

People don't care.

Although each state has the right to set the age limit, it's pretty uniform. The minimum in the US is 18, except for Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, Utah, and in New York the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and Onondaga, where it is 19.