Legal Smoking Age
March 12th, 2010Many countries have a minimum smoking age. In many countries, it is illegal to sell tobacco products to minors and in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa and Denmark it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 16. In 2007 Germany rose the minimum age to buy tobacco from 16 to 18. Great Britain rose the age on October 1, 2007 from 16 to 18. 46 out of the 50 United States, has a minimum age of 18. Alabama, New Jersey, Utah and Alaska all have a minimum of 19. This is the same in some Upstate New York counties as well. In some countries legislation against giving tobacco products including cigars online to minors when purchasing for someone who is of legal age. These laws sometimes have flimsy enforcement in some states and nations. But, other regions, tobacco is still sold to minors because the fines for violating the laws are lower than to the profit made from the sales. However in Turkey, China and many other countries a child typically will have small problems buying tobacco products, because they are often asked to go to the store to buy them for their parents. I remember when I was small before I was even a teenager, I would have to go to the store up the street and get don tomas cigars for my elderly neighbor. She would hand write a note for me, and that particular store never had a problem selling them to me. Now I am 30 years old, and things have changed, so I don’t think even with a note, any store would sell cigarettes to a minor. Well, at least not in my neighborhood.