Today, October 1st 2007, the age limit in the UK for buying cigarettes, or any other tobacco products, has risen from 16 to 18. But what will this controversial law change achieve?

I'll be honest, the first time I smoked a cigarette was long before my 16th birthday. I also drank my first pint of lager even longer before I was 18. The same is true of virtually everyone I know who smokes or drinks.

The point is, if underage kids want to get hold of cigarettes, they will. Every teenager knows the one corner shop or off-licence in their area where they can go and buy whatever they want without any ID, and if they can go there for booze they'll be able to go there for fags.

Key figures in the tobacco industry know this. Which is why they'll be much less concerned with the law change as they will with the ongoing effects of the nationwide smoking ban that came into force in July. Reports suggest a 7% decrease in sales the month the ban came into force, and rumour has it things aren't looking much better.