1 October 2007
ASH Scotland has welcomed the rise in the minimum purchase age for tobacco from 16 to 18 years old which is being introduced across Great Britain as of today [Monday 1 October] but warned without effective enforcement of the law it would be a wasted measure. Commenting on the new law which brings tobacco into line with alcohol, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland Maureen Moore OBE said,
“If the Scottish Government really want to see this age change make a difference to the health of our future generations then they will back it with policies and funding for enforcement and for cessation and prevention work.
“There are good reasons to change the purchase age of tobacco. Evidence shows the younger you start smoking, the more you smoke in adulthood, the more harm is done to your health, and the harder it is to give up. So it’s vital that we do all we can to stop our young people starting to smoke, and help those who have become addicted, to quit.
“Teenage smoking rates are decreasing, but it remains a problem area, especially amongst girls with 18% of 15 year old girls regularly smoking compared to 12% of 15 year old boys. But the law must be effectively implemented which it currently isn’t as 82% of 15 year old smokers buy their cigarettes from shops.
“Evidence shows that increasing the purchase age can reduce smoking rates, but only if the law is properly implemented. We need to equip our local authority officers with the enforcement tools to help them do their job. ASH Scotland support the introduction of a licensing scheme for tobacco retailers along with the introduction of fixed fines so there is an active deterrent as well as penalty for those who sell cigarettes to people underage.
“Currently traders caught selling tobacco to people underage must be prosecuted through the courts. This lengthy and costly system has resulted in only 17 people being subject to court proceedings in the last six years and fines being on average just £188 from a possible maximum of £2500. A licensing system which means you could have your licence to sell cigarettes suspended or revoked, and put more responsibility on the retailer, would be much more of a deterrent to rogue traders and would protect those retailers who say no to under 18s.
“We also need to have a lot more smoking prevention and cessation work targeting young people and ASH Scotland are currently looking at expanding our cessation work into this much needed area.
“24% of all deaths are due to smoking, if we can reduce the number who start to smoke, then lives can be saved, and families spared the loss of loved ones, years before their time.”
ENDS
For further information please contact ASH Scotland 0131 225 4725 / 0777 6142299
Notes to editors:
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