The petitions site is closed.
There will be a General Election on Thursday 4 July. This means that Parliament has been dissolved and that all parliamentary business – including petitions – has been stopped.
Find out more on the Petitions Committee website
Closed petition Raise the smoking age to 21 and increase funding to help smokers quit
The legal age for buying (combustible) cigarettes should be raised from 18 to 21, a change which 63% of the public would support according to a survey (Guardian, 9.6.2021).
More details
More funding should also be given to the NHS to help smokers quit. This could include counselling sessions & Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Adolescents who smoke usually rely on over-18s to buy cigarettes for them. If the age were raised to 21, teenagers would surely be less likely to procure cigarettes. During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting people's health is more important than ever. Cancer is one of the main causes of death, and should be prevented as much as possible.
The USA has already raised their smoking age to 21, as have many Asian countries. New Zealand is phasing out combustible cigarettes altogether.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months