Teenagers aged 12 and over can now get a prescription for nicotine patches and gum through the UK’s Health Service (NHS), GB News reported on January 4. Nearly 1,300 teens received the prescription this year.
Although many teens are not old enough to legally buy tobacco products, doctors still offer nicotine replacement therapy to help them cope with addiction.
A nicotine patch prescribed on the NHS can cost up to £25, while nicotine gum costs between £2 and £10 per prescription, depending on the quantity. In 2023, although it is illegal to sell cigarettes or e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18, there will be 246 prescriptions specifically for young people under the age of 16.
According to the NHS, only 2% of 11 – to 15-year-olds are currently smokers, but 11% have tried smoking. However, 9% of students are currently using e-cigarettes, especially among 15-year-old girls.
Sanjay Agrawal, the NHS’s national invited adviser on tobacco dependence, is concerned about smoking rates among minors. “We know that 200 to 300 young people try or start smoking every day and that one in two adult long-term smokers will die from a tobacco-related disease.” He supports the proposed Tobacco and E-Cigarette Act, which would raise the age of sale of tobacco products.
- “This government is not prepared to stand by and allow a new generation of children to be addicted to nicotine.”
