Britain to raise smoking age from 16 to 18

LONDON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Britain's public health minister will announce this week that the country's legal minimum age to buy cigarettes will be raised from 16 to 18, a report says.

The Times of London said that in her announcement, Caroline Flint will cite government research that shows roughly 450 children across Britain start smoking each day. The research also suggests that half of those children who go on to become regular smokers will eventually die from diseases caused by cigarettes.

The new law will go into effect October 2007, The Times reported.

Advocates for tougher smoking guidelines are also calling for an increase in fines for shopkeepers who sell to minors and a ban on cigarette vending machines. The Times reported that about half of teenage smokers get their cigarettes from such machines.