Talking Point: Should the smoking age be raised each year?

The Government has aims for England to be smoke-free by 2030

(Picture: Getty Images)

A new review sets out a number of measures, having highlighted that England is not on course to meet the Government’s aim of being “smoke-free” by 2030, whereby less than 5% of any community smokes.

The idea of continuously raising the minimum age is similar to laws already on their way into New Zealand. Phasing out smoking one generation at a time would eventually lead to a society in which nobody has been legally able to purchase cigarettes in the country in their lifetime.