Alan
6th September 2006, 11:54 PM
http://www.igd.org.uk/analysis/photos/Asda/Asda%20Essentials%20Northampton/Cigarette%20&%20tobacco%20kiosk/thumbnails/United%20Kingdom,%20Asda%20Essentials%20%28Northam pton%20-%20PREVIEW%20DAY%29,%20March%202006%20007%20thumb. jpg
On the way home tonight, I went into Asda. At the checkout I noticed a sign that said that they had raised age limit to buy cigarettes and knives. It troubled me: not particularly because I am against the motive behind it. In fact, there is a good argument for increasing the age limit from sixteen to eighteen. It is more that I don't believe that a private company should be able to decide that it knows better than the Government.
An example that we have lived with that goes along similar lines is alcohol. It is necessary to be 18 in this country to buy it, but many places insist on being 21 unless you have ID. That's fine - people should be made to prove their age if it is in any doubt. But an 18 year old who produces ID will be served alcohol. The exception is in pubs, where a landlord can refuse entry to anyone for any reason, but there is a big difference in this case: the law allows the refusal.
So, as Asda's rules stand, a seventeen year-old can't go into its stores and purchase cigarettes even if they produce identification. This is nothing less than discrimination. Going by the same rules, Asda could refuse to sell condoms to Catholics, alcohol to Muslims, low-cut tops to fat people, pork to Jews, Playstation games to the elderly and super-glue to the stupid.
Someone needs to challenge this soon. If Asda feels so strongly about this issue, it should lobby Parliament instead of taking the law into its own hands.
On the way home tonight, I went into Asda. At the checkout I noticed a sign that said that they had raised age limit to buy cigarettes and knives. It troubled me: not particularly because I am against the motive behind it. In fact, there is a good argument for increasing the age limit from sixteen to eighteen. It is more that I don't believe that a private company should be able to decide that it knows better than the Government.
An example that we have lived with that goes along similar lines is alcohol. It is necessary to be 18 in this country to buy it, but many places insist on being 21 unless you have ID. That's fine - people should be made to prove their age if it is in any doubt. But an 18 year old who produces ID will be served alcohol. The exception is in pubs, where a landlord can refuse entry to anyone for any reason, but there is a big difference in this case: the law allows the refusal.
So, as Asda's rules stand, a seventeen year-old can't go into its stores and purchase cigarettes even if they produce identification. This is nothing less than discrimination. Going by the same rules, Asda could refuse to sell condoms to Catholics, alcohol to Muslims, low-cut tops to fat people, pork to Jews, Playstation games to the elderly and super-glue to the stupid.
Someone needs to challenge this soon. If Asda feels so strongly about this issue, it should lobby Parliament instead of taking the law into its own hands.