Every year, around 114,000 smokers in the United Kingdom die from their habit. That’s about 300 people every day. Smoking in Britain is highest in the 20–24 age group. It is illegal to sell cigarettes to children under the age of 18. Yet 20% of Britain’s 15 year olds are regular smokers. More than 80% of smokers take up the habit when they are teenagers. People who smoke a packet of cigarettes a day die on average 7 years earlier than people who have never smoked. Every day in the United Kingdom, approximately 450 young people under the age of 18 start smoking. The British Government currently spends around £30 million a year on anti-smoking education campaigns. A further £41 million is spent on measures to help people give up smoking. More people in Britain die from smoking than from road accidents, poisoning and AIDS.