Experts at The BMJ today have suggested that the government should increase the legal age of buying cigarettes from 18 to 21.

Achieving a smoke-free generation - where smoking rates are below 5% across all groups in society - is a "key public health goal."
And helping existing smokers to quit is important, says Hopkinson, who is also chair of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), but "the most vital element is to prevent young people from starting in the first place."
Most smokers start during childhood, and two-thirds of those who try smoking will go on to become regular smokers.
"Smoking is a contagious habit, transmitted within peer groups," writes Hopkinson, and the age increase will protect younger children from exposure to older pupils in the school who smoke.
And it will also remove a potential source of supply within schools, he adds.
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But the age increase is not the only possible measure proposed by APPG.
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This could include the introduction of a retail licensing scheme for tobacco products, which could help to limit underage sales. And it would make it easier to ban sales from those who break the law.
What's more, other measures could include further increases in taxes to reduce affordability, spending on mass media education campaigns back to 2008 levels, supporting regional tobacco control bodies that have had a significant impact, and the inclusion of government mandated pack inserts to support quitting.
Polling data shows that these measures are popular among the public, writes Hopkinson, and "as healthcare professionals, we should be advocating them," he urges.
"Ministers should seize the opportunity to deliver a healthy legacy," he concludes.
Source-Eurekalert