It is reported that the legal age for smoking in England may be raised from 18 to 21 after a “radical” review of plans to make the country smoke-free by 2030.
An independent review commissioned by Health Minister Sajid Javid and led by Javed Khan, former chief executive of Barnardo’s children’s charity, is also expected to support new taxes on tobacco companies’ profits, according to the Telegraph.
The review is also expected to recommend that the NHS step up its efforts to encourage smokers, especially pregnant women, to switch to vaping and e-cigarettes.
The Telegraph also reports that Javid, who quit smoking after becoming health minister last year, has considered recommending raising the minimum age to 25. He also said he supports major changes in government policy. with regard to tobacco, including the tightening of sales rules.
Khan said he supported the “polluter pays” approach, which would force tobacco companies to fund anti-smoking policies. When the review was launched, he said his findings “will help highlight key interventions that can help the government achieve its ambitions to be smoke-free by 2030 and tackle health inequalities”.
A source Khan consulted during the review told the Telegraph: “The position he took in the meetings I had with him is quite radical.
Three sources reportedly said the review, commissioned in February, was a “political cover-up” for Javid to avoid Downing Street abandoning the 2030 target amid fears that conservatives could be accused of trying to introduce a “nanny state”.
The minimum age for tobacco purchase was last raised from 16 to 18 in England, Scotland and Wales in 2007. Smoking in enclosed public spaces and workplaces was outlawed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the same year, followed by Scotland, which led to the legislation of the previous year.
Javid is said to have looked at policies in the United States, where the legal age is 21, and New Zealand, where buying cigarettes will forever be illegal for anyone currently 14 and under.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not believed to believe that the age should be raised, as the 18-year-old has been recognized by the government as a threshold of legal responsibility.
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The review was originally scheduled for publication next week, but was later postponed. All recommendations arising from the report will be consulted before any new policies are announced.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said: “Tackling problems such as smoking is a priority for the Office for Improving Health and Inequalities and a key part of the government’s equalization agenda. That is why we have launched an independent review of our bold ambition to make Britain smoke-free by 2030.
“The review will provide independent, evidence-based advice on potential interventions that will inform our approach to tackling the major health disparities associated with tobacco use – and we look forward to seeing the report in due course.”
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