Help stamp out underage tobacco sales

The Council’s Trading Standards service has been recently awarded funding from the Scottish Government to help reduce the number of underage sales of tobacco across the city.

As part of a new scheme, tobacco traders will soon receive an advice visit from Trading Standards, who will advise them on legislation and ways to ensure that they are not selling tobacco to people under 18.

After the visit, a test purchase exercise will be undertaken across the city.

Traders who are found to be selling to under 18s will be subject to action being taken against them. The scheme will be carried out over the next 12 months.

If you think that you see a trader selling tobacco to someone under 18, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or Trading Standards on 0131 529 3030.

Need to know

• Four per cent of 13 year olds and 15 per cent of 15 year olds were considered regular smokers.
• Among regular smokers nearly half (47 per cent) of 13 year olds and more than three quarters (82 per cent) of 15 year olds reported buying their cigarettes from shops.