No I haven't smoked since my 20s

There was certainly no challenge-25 back then either. Some people take pleasure in asking the same person over and over until the day they turn 26 (you’re only supposed to do it once or until you remember them) but the whole thing’s a bit ridiculous. If you’re old enough to be sixth-form/college age you’re going to get your hands on cigarettes anyway if that’s what you want to do. Just like taxing alcohol now and introducing plain-packet packaging I just see these things as unnecessary.

There was a shop near school that sold single cigs and a match for 25p when I was at school. Sold them to us in uniform too

The ice cream van parked at the school gates sold singles for 10p and had a queue every break

I remember buying singles (I feel like the brand was Pall-Mall but I can’t be sure). I would’ve been 15, I can’t lie.

It's not that different now with vapes to be fair, they'll sell those little cheap ones to kids all day long.

Remember when e.-cigs were a thang?

Have to say though - I've never encountered anywhere that sold single cigarettes.

When I was in my mid teens (around 2000) nowhere ID's though. Pubs were happy enough so long as you didn't look like an actual child, and there were multiple small shops that would sell cigarettes and alcohol to basically anyone over about 14.

I think there are probably more "mystery shoppers" around these days or something, I know it's not as easy for the kidz to get their booze these days.

Also everyone I knew had dodgy fake ID's bought for £10 off the internet. COMPLETELY unconvincing but so many places accepted them, even proper bars & clubs in town :joker:.

https://live.staticflickr.com/3086/3...93df407330.jpg

and do your ironing

Oh yeah we had that as well, they would split a pack :laugh: and it was in school lunchtime ...early capitalism

That principle should apply to the manner in which people behind the till ask people (especially young people who are actually only 18-20) for ID. Unless the person trying to buy is obviously about 12, you ask them for ID, not how old they are. You don’t want to put people off by patronising them or getting overly personal with them.

Back in the day plenty of corner shops would sell singles to young teenagers asking for smokes. That’s how I discreetly got away with it the handful of times I smoked cigarettes as a 15-year-old (I did manage to get a 10-pack of Lambert once at that time though). I’ve always been pretty socially introverted so I was happy to just wait until I was 18 for clubbing (and even then I had to almost be dragged out kicking and screaming). I didn’t get ’round to getting or using fake ID for anything.

i was buying fags as a 12 yo and i got absolutely legless at the Swan Inn at 13 :laugh:

Young Gen Zs (let’s say people born from 2003 onwards) don’t go in as deep alcohol and smoking-wise as baby boomers, Gen X, millennials or zillenials to be fair. They’re more distracted by the broadening of the LGBTQ+ category (if they’re about it) and vaping than anything else. A 16-year-old’s birthday party in 2000 or even 2014 would probably have at least some cider or WKD (at the very least someone would’ve snuck one in) but today’s teenagers are okay with soda and tend to just wait till they’re 18 to get litty-lit. Every generation moans about current teenagers but these ones live in a world where it’s not easy to get away with drinking and smoking under 18 anymore and they’ve lost interest by-and-large.

Anyone remember Craven A?

they were on the way out when i was a kid, could see the odd pack on the street

Unless you’re really about the baccie life (more than 10 a day). Probably to them smoking Silk Cut is like breathing in more air than anything but I don’t think it’s too bad. It’s not the illusion of feeling like you’re taking in less tar and nicotine more than it is the aesthetic and mellow nicotine rush. That’s all I want from pure tobacco these days anyway. It’s expensive so even less of a thing for me.

I wish more people smoked pipes, the lovely smell as you passed a man smoking a pipe was a real treat and it was a lovely think for a retired man to take up

My Grandad used to smoke a pipe.

Alf Garnett was a pipe smoker.

In their honour I might invest in one. Do regular shops still sell pipe tobacco or would you need to go to a specialist tobacco shop?

Smoke King is your friend

Family run professional service

https://www.smoke-king.co.uk/

Get yourself a corncob pipe. cheap and effective £7

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Ah, right.

Anyone ever been cautioned for spreading second-hand CBD vape?

Just spent an hour in the garden with the blackbirds and st Bruno and classic FM. Bliss