Banning the sale of tobacco to those under 21: what are the issues?

On World No Tobacco Day in the UK, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and academics from University College London (UCL) are calling on the UK government to consider raising the legal age for tobacco sales to 21. The NGO says such a move would have significant public health implications.[1].

ASH is calling on the UK government to heed a study published in the scientific journal The Lancet, which shows that the vast majority of smokers start smoking before the age of 21.[2].

An immediate and significant beneficial effect on public health

The figures presented in The Lancet highlight the paediatric nature of the tobacco epidemic. Indeed, according to the study, three-quarters of smokers worldwide smoked their first cigarette before the age of 21. According to the modelling by UCL academics, and the American experience, the implementation of such a measure would have the effect of reducing the smoking prevalence among 18-21 year-olds by 30% in the first year. In a few years, the extension of the ban would have the effect of considerably reducing the smoking prevalence of the entire population. According to Professor Robert West, Emeritus Professor at University College London, "increasing the age of sale of tobacco to 21 will lead to an immediate and substantial reduction in the smoking prevalence among young adults, far greater than any other policy measure considered". In total, this proposal could protect and keep more than a hundred thousand people away from smoking in the first year of its implementation.

A measure supported by public opinion

According to a survey conducted by Ash, in partnership with the polling institute YouGov, raising the age for tobacco sales meets with public support and transcends partisan divides. Thus, 64% of English adults say they support this public health measure, while only 15% are opposed to it. This trend is even true among 18-24 year-olds, the main people concerned. Indeed, within this age group, 54% of them say they support the measure, and only 24% are opposed to it.

A legally feasible measure

Although the age of majority in England and France is set at 18, this figure remains arbitrary and does not necessarily mean that an individual becomes an adult in all respects at this stage. From a health and biological point of view, brain development is not yet fully complete. As a result, the lower the age of initiation to smoking, the greater the risk that a person will develop a strong addiction to its consumption. Furthermore, reaching 18 does not mean that the individual acquires all of their rights. Indeed, a certain number of exceptions remain: in France, for example, a person must be 21 to be eligible for a license for heavy goods vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes, and must wait until 24 to run for senatorial elections. As a result, raising the age of sale of tobacco to 21 is therefore legally possible.

FT

Keywords: Ban, 21, minors, ASH, The Lancet, study, England

[1] ASH, On World No Tobacco Day ASH calls on Government to do more to protect young people and consult on raising the age of sale to 21, 05/28/2021, (accessed 05/31/2021)

[2] Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in tobacco smoking prevalence and attributable disease: a systematic analysis of 204 countries and territories from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, The Lancet. 2021, (05/27/2021)