Landmark plan to end smoking

As reported by The Department of Health and Social Care, as the UK moves closer to becoming the first country to create a smoke-free generation, the government accelerates initiatives to eliminate smoking, raising the age of tobacco sales and addressing youth vaping concerns

Amassing roughly 25,000 responses – including from healthcare professionals, public health experts, academics, teachers, parents and teenagers – officials will analyse results and ministers will set out next steps in the coming weeks, including details on the forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill recently announced in the King’s Speech.

The majority of the public are behind the plans, and the government is determined to take vital action quickly to protect future generations from the harms of tobacco addiction.

The government’s response to the consultation will be published ahead of the bill’s introduction to Parliament in the new year.

Public Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said:

As a former teenage smoker, these historic plans might just have prevented me from ever lighting a cigarette.

Smoking is the biggest preventable killer in the UK, and that’s why we need to push ahead at pace with our plans to protect today’s children and create the first smokefree generation, while cracking down on youth vaping.

We are taking the long-term health decisions needed to safeguard the next generation from the harms of smoking and risk of addiction.

Government plans include introducing a new law to stop children who turned 14 this year or are younger from ever legally being sold tobacco in England. There is also a worrying rise in vaping among children, and the government will therefore also introduce measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, while ensuring they remain available as a quit tool for smokers.

This will prevent thousands of children from starting smoking in the coming years and potentially having their lives cut short as a result.

The UK is now proudly set to be the first country in the world to introduce such a landmark law on smoking.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said:

With the overwhelming support of the public, the UK has picked up the baton to become the first country in the world to create a smokefree generation.

In the 20th century, the UK – home to the tobacco industry – had the highest smoking rates in the world; in 21st, we are now on track to lead the way out of the tobacco epidemic.

This will herald the start of a new era in tobacco control, where the end of smoking is finally in sight.

Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer, causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 deaths in England alone, costing the economy and wider society £17 billion each year. No other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users, and the plans will save tens of thousands of lives and save the NHS billions of pounds.