Did you know...

....that from today you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes? WTF?!?

 

Same here, maybe I've had my head up my arse for the last
few months, but I'd heard more about the changes to the
roaming charges on mobile phones coming into force yesterday
than what I'd heard about this!

Tbh, it's not something that I really have an opinion
about as a non-smoker. I just find it difficult to accept
that yesterday's legal nicotine addicted 16-y-o will be
breaking the law today. Obviously they have to bring it
in somehow, but it's hardly been in a blaze of publicity!

 

In

It'd be more important for them to be far more draconian to the shops
flogging fags to kids I'd think

 

Yeah, it's funny how we have adequate laws for quite a lot
of things, but the application of those laws just seems to
be so poorly made that the government come up with new ones
all the time to "make it better".

While I'm on it this morning (it is monday, after all) shall
I post something about the price of petrol these days? ;-)

 

But presumably that will be a lot easier for 18 than for 16, in terms
of being able to ask for some ID at least.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

No, as we don't have ID cards in this country. Yet!

Passport is not mandatory. Driving licence would show
age but again not everyone decides to take their test.

It used to be that you got a National Insurance card
with your NI number on it at 16, so you could start
paying taxes and the like. The local shop keepers
always used to use this as their proof of age at
sixteen, even though it was just a credit card kind
of thing with a name and number on it.

The only other thing would be a birth certificate,
but you could always borrowing your older sibling or
older friend's.

 

It's still legal to smoke at 16, just not legal to buy them.

 

Which makes it even more absurd, no?

 

IIRC smoking itself has always been legal, at any age. It's the
buying of tobacco that has been legally restricted.

 

Yes, I know, but there's some sort of id scheme for kids to prove
they're 18 to buy drinks in pubs, so most 18-y-olds would have one,
particularly those who smoke.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

The law is already pretty draconian - and it is the poor minimum wage
shop assistant who gets shafted.

 

but there is a voluntary system of "proof of age cards", used by the
licenced trade for alcohol purchase, entry to clubs, concerts etc.

 

No more absurd than our alcohol laws that make it illegal to buy until
18, but you can drink from the age of 5.

 

In

Well, in all fairness, they should'nt sell to sprogs should they

For some reason, certainly around here, the kids flock to a mostly Asian
shops because they are quite happy to sell them fags and booze. (This is NOT
intended as a racist remark, merely an observation)

 

It's legal to smoke at ANY age. It's not like tyre treads where a there's a
minimum depth requirement.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Well not until some pissed off "kid" decides that he WILL have his packet of
fags and makes his decision known to the minimum wage bloke.

Probably because the Asian shopkeepers would rather sell them the fags than
get their teeth knocked out by a gang of little shits.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I despair sometimes. Apart from it being in the papers there's bloody
great posters all over the place: "You can try, but it won't work".

 

Re the fags and the booze..........is it illegal to *buy* if U16 or U18 or
is the illegal bit the *selling*?

You often here about prosecutions of shop owners for selling but not about
youths who buy?

Can I add another to the absurd laws.................legal for a bike shop
to sell a bike with an illegal exhaust. Illegal for the new owner to use it
on the road.

Mark

 

....and for blind pillion passengers (obviously!) to wear
a helmet with a black visor. Work that one out!

 

It's your statement that is absurd.

If a dealer sells you a *road* bike with an illegal exhaust then they have
committed an offence under the Sale of Goods Act. Anything sold must be
"fit for purpose".

Of course, many bikes are never destined for road use e.g. dirt bikes, race
bikes and track toys. These can quite legitmately be sold with exhausts
marked "not for road use".