Legal age for cigs been talked about been moved up to 21 in Uk, Americans did that actually change anything when it became 21 over there?

[Kaneki05]

It didn't change anything when they swapped it from 16 to 18 dunno why 21 would change anything also this means, alcohol can be sold to 18s even 16s with a meal but not cigs. Confusion? Also you can still smoke at 16 just cannot buy confusion?

Feel like this would just make teens do it more if anything. I know it would influence me to take more part of it because the psychology of been told you cannot do this until you reach that age makes people want to do it. Especially for myself.

Updates

+1 y

I know many shops that sell 2 packs of 20 of weird off brand cigs for a fiver or bellow along with the Menthol off brand stuff too (Which menthol is now illegal in UK). These shops also don't ID.
Our current prices for legit ones are around a tenner but it don't really change the fact of people buying them.
At some point I think governments need to realise smoking will not be a thing stopped by age restrictions getting worse or price. All it does is cut out the tax as they get sold illegally.

[exitseven]

Making cigarettes ten bucks a pack made a bigger difference than raising the age to buy them.

[Kaneki05]

All that did was make cheaper off brand stuff, that's less regulated and not taxed for the government so they could at least use that tax money for something useful. So while it may seem effective, in reality that hurts the situation more.

[exitseven]

Even the cheap cigarettes are expensive. When I was a kid you could buy them for less than a dollar a pack.

[Kaneki05]

Back then people were getting less income though so that's a bad comparison. Many stuff back then was cheap as compared today but today people are paid much more for jobs.

[exitseven]

yes, but people do not make 10X what they made back in the late 80s early 90s.

[Kaneki05]

The average wage £38,600 in Uk 2020, the average wage in 1980 £6,000 Equal to £19,000 as in terms of today, you could buy milk for 17p back then. It's not 10x the amount but it's far more than it would even be if converted.
19,000 today would get you ideally what 6000 could, which means the rest of that building up to 38,600 is a lot of extra cash.
Anyway all this leads to is really bad comparisons anyway. It's suffice to say 2 packs of 20 for a fiver is not expensive even for low income.

[Anonymous]

I sold cigs at a gas station. Half the employees didn’t even bother checking the IDs, especially it if was regulars or kids they knew…

[jahaims]

I don't know anyone under 40 that smokes. I know vaping is huge in the generation after me.

[Kaneki05]

Yea we mostly vape now that is true, Especially the fact that clubs and gigs allow you to vape in them. Making it much more easier than needing to step out for a cig. Which is why I am sure naturally people will less smoke anyway and vape more as time goes on.
Though if they make smoking seem more taboo because of it's restrictions I am sure more youth will take it thinking oh it's a cool thing to do.