It's pretty easy. Smoking never really stopped in Germany. Vending machines are everywhere. They require age verification, which is not hard to bypass.

We got rid of indoor smoking, but we still accept that people smoke.

18 is good. In my previous neighbourhood I lived next to a school. A bunch of 14 year olds with smoke under the supervision of their teachers just outside the gates during recess.

There's no culture of smoking suppression in Germany. You'll see behaviours treated as normal that would trigger an emergency meeting elsewhere.

You hear constant propaganda about how something's bad for you, you try it to rebel a bit, you get a buzz, you get addicted.

Some people simply aren't as attached to life as you are.

I got started because my parents were careless and thought itd be funny to force me to smoke cigs when I was 7, they got me hooked on tobacco, weed, and alcohol which ruined basically my entire childhood and teenage years.

I'm a firm believer that a lot of the time kids get started because of abuse or neglect from the parents. Please blame the parents and not the kids. I promise you they dont know any better.

its pretty common to have school kids 15+ start smoking. and it's easy for them. cigarettes are presented in vending machines everywhere or sold by unbothered vendors.