<P> It has been estimated by Cancer Research UK that smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and early death, with around 107,000 people dying in 2007 from smoking - related diseases including cancers in the UK . Around 86% of lung cancer deaths in the UK are caused by tobacco smoking and overall tobacco smoking is estimated to be responsible for more than a quarter of cancer deaths in the UK, around 43,000 deaths in 2007 . </P> <P> The British Medical Journal states that due to the drive to help smokers quit smoking, Britain has the world's largest reduction in the number of deaths from lung cancer . Previously in 1950, the UK had one of the highest rates in the world . The annual number of deaths from lung cancer in 2000 was half of what it was in 1965 . </P> <P> Reducing the prevalence of smoking to 5% could avoid nearly 100,000 new cases of smoking - related disease including 35,900 cancers over twenty years and save £ 67,000,000 a year in health and social care costs according to research commissioned by Cancer Research UK . </P> <P> Until 1 October 2007, the minimum age to purchase and consume tobacco products in public was 16 years of age . From 1 October 2007 the Children and Young Persons (Sale of Tobacco etc .) Order 2007 became effective, raising the minimum purchase age to 18 years of age . There is no stated age under which it is illegal to consume tobacco, although an officer has the right to confiscate tobacco if the individual concerned is in a public place and under sixteen years of age . </P>

What is the legal age for smoking uk