aside from the issue of 'prohibition still doesn't work', i don't think giving kids or "underage" adults criminal charges for cigarettes is making anything better for anyone

how to create a blackmarket with health issues

Sunak should start publicly smoking all the time, then it will be the lamest thing and teen smoking will crater.

....how do 14 year olds get smokes now?

Making it illegal to buy at certain ages has never worked...banning them outright also won't work. You cannot stop people from doing things, no matter how many words you put on paper.

Has the war on drugs not been a thought to these people? It is useless and does nothing.

Man the fuck up and outlaw it for everyone instead of this sneaky prohibition that only affect people that can't vote yet. It's such a cowardly, disingenuous way of doing it.

No no no, minimum age should increase by 360 days every year, that way people can still have hope that some day they'll be able to smoke. Staying true to how capitalism works.

NZ already did this and it is the most cowardly way to avoid political blowback.

There's plenty of other options for minimising smoking. A more altruistic way is by lifting people out of poverty and tackling social disintegration, since smokers are overwhelmingly poor and disaffected.

Cool, when does the minimum age for joining the military start to raise by one year every year?

If this is the only effort, it's weak. Better to also (or instead) tax each box by another 20 pounds. Kids don't have that money. They'll find other things to do.

New Zealand has done this

“We operate a Check-74 policy. If you are lucky enough to look younger than 70, we will ask for ID when buying cigarettes”

Rishi is just jealous that they aren't one of the cool kids

https://www.theonion.com/secondhand-smoke-linked-to-secondhand-coolness-1819564071

Back in my day we used to smoke up hill both ways in the rain and snow.

So he's nicking what newzeland did ok cool something that he's not going to profit from for a change atleast

Big tobacco trying to kill big vape by making it exciting again to smoke and break the law

Yeah no, you don't get to arbitrarily use age to deny people their rights and manipulate them into doing what you want them to do.

If he wanted it to work he could make cigarettes more lethal. Kill you in a couple of months type of thing.

(Clearly not a serious suggestion in case you wonder)

Not a smoker or wannabe one but if someone is just one year behind in their age, they'll never be able to legally smoke with this setup.