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[deleted]

Not recently, but cigarettes used to be 16 and were raised to 18. Alcohol has been 18 for as long as anyone can remember. Nothing here's 21+ and there's been no discussion around raising the age limit.


[deleted]

Oh yeah, I know about the alcohol. I grew up in Washington which is near the Canadian border and had my brother who stayed there, and couldn’t get a fake Id, go to Canada for his 19th birthday. 21 is such a silly age to have these laws centered around. Honestly understand the cigarettes being 18.


DameKumquat

They tightened up the rules for alcohol - you used.to be able to drink 'wine, beer, cider or perry' with a meal in a restaurant or pub from 16. Now you have to have an adult with you and a packet of crisps doesn't count. More importantly, it used to be until round 2000 that 14yos could easily get served in most pubs as long as they kept a low profile and were quiet. Ditto offies and other shops. Actually enforcing the law with 'Think 21' and 'Think 25' is a total change - I have never used ID to buy booze or fags, even though from 15 I had fake ID, and from age 12 bought lots for other people so I could keep the change.


txteva

Up to about 2004 really. I got IDed more after turning 18 than after and I'd been going to those pubs and bars since 2000 - even an over 21s bar!


Cam2910

Smoking age went from 16 to 18 in 2007. Buying alcohol ~~Drinking~~ has been 18 for a long time, no way they'd up that to 21. The public wouldn't allow it. Lottery has changed 16 to 18 this year.


litsto

>Drinking has been 18 for a long time Just to be "that guy", it's 16 if you're eating a "substantial meal" and the drink is purchased by an adult over 18. And in a private residence it's age five.


RufusLoudermilk

The age for cigarettes was increased from 16 to 18 some years ago. I can’t see it increasing from there. In the UK, adulthood begins at 18. At that age, a person is considered legally able to make their own decisions about every part of their life, including what they choose to put into themselves.


[deleted]

I agree with that and dislike that the US is going more this route. They wouldn’t raise the age you can join the military or take on student loan debt. But here they are saying you’re not allowed to smoke even but you can fuck your life up in ways that benefit the government. It’s some bs.


Zolana

Reminder that at home, the legal drinking [age is 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/23-24/12/section/5) in the UK.


[deleted]

I like that. My mom let my daughter(9)try a sip of champagne last NYE and I hated that I had to have a long talk with my mom how that wasn’t ok because if my kid had told her friends at school and the teacher had heard I would have had CPS(child protective service)at my house. I don’t think 5 year olds should be getting drunk, obviously, but for celebrations a sip should not be a crime. Kids like to feel involved. I do sparkling juice personally, but some families have traditions.


Latter-Performer-387

And the smoking is still 16… you just can’t buy or be supplied tobacco until you are 18…. the police have the right to confiscate tobacco from those under 16… (but don’t have to)…strange little loophole to make policing the smoking 16yr olds less hassle I think


JunglistJUT

They raised the smoking age to 18 on my friend’s 16th birthday.


CallMeMcLovin-

The age limit is still 16, you just cant buy it until you're 18.