The Mirror reports that ‘plans to raise the legal age of buying tobacco to 21’ are being looked at by ‘health officials’.
The 'exclusive' report is accompanied by a leading article in which the paper throws its weight behind the idea.
The fingerprints of ASH are all over the story so I was surprised to be asked to respond.
In fact the Mirror asked for 200 words to be published alongside a comment from ASH. Neither is online but this is my (edited) contribution:
If you can have sex at 16 and drive a car at 17, you should be allowed to buy tobacco at 18.
In the eyes of the law, you’re an adult at 18. Treating young adults like children insults their intelligence.
You certainly don’t have to be 21 to know that smoking is potentially harmful.
But raising the age of sale won’t stop young people smoking. It will simply drive tobacco underground.
Far from protecting younger consumers, it will expose more to illicit and counterfeit tobacco, origin unknown.
In response ASH CEO Deborah Arnott wrote:
Simon Clark, whose organisation, Forest, is funded by tobacco firms, says if you’re old enough to have sex at 16 or join the Army, you’re old enough to smoke. But he’s wrong.
Cut to the Mirror’s leading article:
Every anti-smoking measure was at first opposed by the tobacco lobby.
A rule of thumb is that the louder the criticism of laws intended to save lives, the more effective they are likely to be.
Call me cynical but I wonder if Deborah wrote that as well!