Cigarette buying age to go up
5 Jun 07
From 1 October, the legal age to buy tobacco products will rise to 18 across the UK
The legal age to buy cigarettes and tobacco is to increase from 16 to 18.
An order was laid today in the Holyrood parliament to amend the existing law on cigarette sales, allowing the age increase to come into force from 1 October this year. The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 gives Scottish Ministers power to raise the age of purchase for tobacco products.
The age of purchase will also be raised in England and Wales on the same date.
Public Health Minister Shona Robison said making the country a healthier place was a top priority for the Scottish government and raising the age at which people can buy cigarettes would help this.
She said: "We need to start with our young people and discourage them from starting to smoke in the first place. Raising the age will send a clear message to young people that smoking is highly dangerous.
"I am pleased that figures out just last week showed a decrease in the number of teenagers smoking, and I am confident that today's announcement, combined with a wider package of measures including stricter enforcement, will contribute to an even greater reduction in the number of young people smoking."