No Smoking Day 2021: Know legal age of smoking across the world

No Smoking Day falls every year on the second Wednesday of March, and it will be celebrated on March 10 this year. The primary aim of the day is to spread awareness about the harmful affects of smoking tobacco and to get rid of the bad habit of smoking.

The first No Smoking Day was celebrated on Ash Wednesday in 1984 in the UK and since then this day is celebrated annually to raise awareness about smoking and its ill effects.

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Across the world, several governments have enacted various laws for tobacco control measures to curb smoking. Here’s a look at some countries and the measures they have taken to stop people from smoking:

India: The Government of India has proposed that the legal age to smoke should be 21 years. Although, currently people above the age of 18 can smoke in the country lawfully. The Cigarettes Act 1975 makes it a compulsion to put a warning of “smoking is injurious to health” on all cigarette packs, cartons and advertisements. 

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United States: Though a lot of countries have kept the minimum age as 18 or 19 but the States has raised the minimum purchase age as 21. 

Singapore: The island nation has proposed a similar rule as well which states that the legal age to smoke shall change from 20 years of age to 21, whether it is for consumption, possession or supply of tobacco products.

UK and Germany: In both the countries, the minimum age to smoke and purchase tobacco was raised from 16 to 18. 

Ukraine: For some it must be very shocking to know, but the minimum age to smoke in the country is 14, but the minimum purchase age is 18 that prohibits children to buy from the vendor directly.

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Antigua, Barbuda, Belize and Gambia: In all these countries, there is no legal smoking age and there is no particular age to purchase tobacco as well. 

Bhutan: In the South East Asian country, smoking is illegal regardless of how old you are.