Young smokers in Scotland grows by 40 a day

Thousands of children in Scotland have taken up smoking since a public consultation on introducing plain packaging for cigarettes ended six months ago, campaigners said.

Anti-smoking campaigners ASH Scotland and other health groups have called on the Scottish and UK governments to introduce legislation on plain packets for tobacco products in efforts to make them less attractive to children.

But since a consultation on the issue ended six months
ago, the groups said 7,500 children under 16 would have started smoking in Scotland, with
the number growing by around 40 a day.