Age Legal Fumer Belgique

The new age limit applies only to the sale of tobacco and not to its use. Suzanne Gabriels: “We know that there are young people who will circumvent this ban and use older friends to get tobacco. Nor can we require the Ministry of Health to send an inspector to every store to check whether the ban is being enforced everywhere. For us, this measure is particularly important because it sets a standard, namely that smoking is no longer normal. In recent years, this type of tobacco control measure has multiplied: unappetizing photos of tarred lungs on packaging, a ban on smoking in public places, an increase in excise duties. But are these provisions really effective? Yes, according to Mathieu Capouet, tobacco expert at the FPS Public Health: “There has been a significant decrease in smoking in the population, at least from 2013 to 2018, and this trend has been observed since the first health survey through interviews in 1997. Measures work, especially if they are taken at the same time. Specifically, we create a positive environment by helping to stop and denormalize the product, and then in the end we observe a significant decrease in consumption. Studies show that the sooner young people start smoking, the faster they become addicted to nicotine and the harder it is to quit smoking afterwards, according to the Cancer Foundation.

The majority of tobacco users (90%) started smoking before the age of 18. This change in the legal minimum age for the purchase of tobacco was decided last April. According to a recent survey (Sciensano 2018)(*), we know that the average age of the first cigarette is 16.6 years. It has been about 18.3 years since the habit became daily. However, 19% of those who have ever smoked daily started smoking before the age of 16, and the majority (48%) started smoking every day between the ages of 16 and 18. A ban on the sale of tobacco to young people under the age of 18 can therefore be a useful measure if it is part of a comprehensive package of measures to reduce tobacco consumption. Young people`s brains react differently to nicotine than adults` brains. Research on nicotine and the adolescent brain has examined “the effects of acute nicotine exposure on brain development.” The central core of all our addictions is a small neurological circuit called the “reward circuit.” It is an engine that gives us the taste for pleasure, the desire to move forward by doing the things we love. The speed at which nicotine sensitizes the adolescent brain is the fastest of all drugs.

In addition, the reward circuit is even more sensitive to exposure to psychotropic products before the brain matures, around the age of 20-25 years. Everything in the scientific literature tells us that we should absolutely protect our young people from drinking, smoking and using cannabis at least until the age of 20. With nicotine, in a 16-year-old girl, addiction is present after 3 months. And after 6 months in the young man. Here we become aware of the power of this drug. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, pointed out that in the UK, “smoking is the leading cause of cancer, with around 1 in 4 cancer deaths due to smoking”. The ban also applies to e-cigarettes and smoked plant-based products. The inspection of the FPS Public Health will ensure compliance with this legislation. The Cancer Foundation welcomes this measure: on 1 January 2019, Belgium was the only country in the European Union where people under the age of 18 could still buy cigarettes. This measure, combined with the ubiquity of outlets – for example, night shops – increases the risk of young people starting to smoke. The Cancer Foundation is also committed to reducing the number of points of sale and the visibility of tobacco in order to strengthen this measure. The UK report also recommends promoting e-cigarettes to help smokers quit, improve prevention and increase the budget for tobacco control measures by an additional £125 million a year (€146 million).

The report points out that “despite progress in reducing smoking rates to the lowest levels ever recorded through measures such as banning indoor smoking, tobacco remains one of the main drivers of health inequalities.” In the event of an infringement, a report may be drawn up, resulting in a fine. Source: Tobacco prohibited for minors, validity of medical prescriptions. : everything that has changed on 1. November in Belgium changes (RTBF) “In Wallonia and Brussels, the unemployed are victims who must be protected” In the heart of Valenciennes: the Hotel Royal Hainaut, it is enough to cross the border “As if we were asking a pregnant woman to give birth after 8 months”: taking her booster dose too early is useless and not even recommended Vincent Lustigier notes, however, let these methods reach their limits. “In most countries where this type of measure has been implemented, we are reaching a plateau of around 15 to 20% of smokers. However, it is often difficult to go further, probably because a number of people use tobacco for psychological reasons, self-medication, etc. “Control of the unemployed: `The sanctions machine restarts and accelerates, but in Brussels it is on pause` Nearly six million people smoke in England out of a population of around 56 million. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the proportion of young adult smokers aged 18 to 24 increased from 1 to 4 to 1 in 3. Nearly one in 10 pregnant women smoke in late pregnancy, increasing the risk of stillbirth, miscarriage and sudden infant death syndrome.

From the first of November, the sale of tobacco to children under 18 is officially banned in Belgium (the limit was previously set at 16). We will therefore no longer be the only country in Europe to sell tobacco to young people between the ages of 16 and 18. The sale of tobacco products to minors is prohibited from 1 November. Previously, it was allowed to young people over the age of 16. Most other European countries followed before 2014. With Luxembourg, Malta and Austria, our country was lagging behind. The change of the legal minimum age for the purchase of tobacco was finally voted last April. An observation shared by Vincent Lustigier, tobacconist at chu Brugman.