Tobacco control has been around for 100 years and selling cigarettes, cigarette papers and other tobacco products to under 16 year old has been a crime since the Children’s Act 1908 came in to force on April 1 st 1909.

The Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 gives tobacco retailers one defence if their shop is caught selling cigarettes or tobacco to an under 18 year old, that of due diligence. A retailer has to be able to show that they have a management system in place that is designed to avoid illegal sales.

Some retailers are still selling to under 18 year olds.

Why, because they don’t have a management process.

It is time that UK manufactures and retailers copied our Canadian colleagues and committed ‘to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, when it comes to tobacco access by young people.’

To get this site launched we have borrowed and copied the ideas of the OperationID website and thanks them for their inspiration.