what is the current legal age of buying tobacco products in the uk today ????????

per wikipedia, you can smoke now, but you cannot purchase stuff until you're 18 --

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_age

It is illegal to sell tobacco products to persons under 18 everywhere in the UK.

You can smoke at any age anywhere in the UK in private premises.

A person aged under 18 can sell tobacco products to people over 18.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland: If you are 16 or over you can smoke in a public place where smoking is allowed. If you are 18 or over you can buy tobacco products intended for a person under 18. It is not illegal to attempt to buy tobacco if you are under 18, but a shopkeeper commits an offence* if they sell it to you.

In Scotland if you are under 18 it is illegal for you to smoke in a public place, to attempt to buy tobacco products, for a shopkeeper to sell them to you, and if you are over 18 it is illegal for you to buy tobacco products for someone under 18.

*That's how we spell that word.

my unsolicited advice to you is don't take up smoking.

it's an unhealthy, addictive, expensive habit...

Further...

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, retailers do not need a licence* to sell tobacco but if they break the law by selling tobacco to someone under 18 years of age, they could have the right to sell tobacco removed – this is known as negative licensing.

* That's how we spell the noun.

When customers are in a group, the person buying tobacco is the person who hands over the money.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, any store caught selling tobacco to young people under 18 three times within a two year period, one of which results in a criminal conviction, will face a restricted premises order (RPO) or a restricted sales order (RSO). An RPO penalises the store for up to one year while an RSO penalises the person who made the sale - prohibiting them from selling tobacco in any premises for up to one year. Breaching the terms of either order could result in a fine of £20,000. Written warnings of cautions will be counted as two of a store's three "strikes". (See below for Scotland)

Scotland has one of the strongest tobacco display bans in the world:

No promotional display of tobacco brands in retail outlets

Requirement for those selling tobacco to be on a central register with the offence of selling tobacco without being registered having a penalty of a fine of up to £20,000 or 6 months in jail

No sale of tobacco products through self-service vending machines (this is illegal in all parts of the UK)

No proxy purchase of tobacco by adults for those under 18 with penalty of a fine up to £5000

Illegal for under 18s to attempt to buy tobacco products.

Police have the power to confiscate tobacco products from under 18s in a public place

Enforcement officers have powers to issue fixed penalty fines for breaches of the law

Enforcement officers can seek a banning order (to a maximum of 24 months) from a sheriff if more than three enforcement actions have been issued

Those banned from selling tobacco products must display a notice stating they are banned.

Yup. And research shows that the earlier people start, the less likely they are to stop, and the greater the chance of health damage. Hence the legislation.

It has been raised to 18.

Age of buying tobacco product in uk is 18.

You cannot smoke and buy tobacco until your 18 but I would still advice you to not even try it. This is to avoid getting the negative effects of tobacco and the traditional cigarette in your health and life in general. You hear and read about it in news or from other people. So why still try it if it will do you no good. I've been there so I just know. Anyway, there are better alternatives to it so that's what you need to find out.

You can smoke and possess tobacco products at any age in the UK.

It is illegal to sell tobacco products to a person under 18 in all the countries of the UK. If a person under 18 succeeds in buying tobacco products in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, the offence is committed by the seller, not the buyer. In Scotland, both are committing an offence.

It is currently legal (November 2014) for a person over 18 to buy tobacco for a person under 18 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but illegal in Scotland. A nationwide ban on proxy purchases is expected soon.