Smokefree legislation must be made reality

Public health bosses across the UK have welcomed the announcement in today’s King’s speech that the Government will continue its commitment to introduce groundbreaking tobacco legislation.

Last month, the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) welcomed the Government’s proposals to ‘stop the start’ which would raise the age of sale for tobacco by one year every year and tighten restrictions on the sale of vapes to children and young people.

The proposed legislation would also provide extra funding for public health stop smoking services, helping thousands more people quit and crack down on illegal sales.

Greg Fell, ADPH President and Director of Public Health for Sheffield, said:

“The public health community were really pleased when the Prime Minister made his announcement last month, but to hear today’s pledge to bring it to Parliament has brought the possibility of a smokefree UK one step closer to becoming a reality.”

Smoking kills around 64,000 people in the UK every year. In addition to deaths, it causes untold harms, illness and disease including stillbirths, lung disease, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. As well as the terrible human cost, smoking costs society £17 billion every year through healthcare, lost productivity, and social care costs.

“We have made great strides since the ban on smoking in public places came into force, but public health services have been hit hard by funding cuts.

“The extra £70 million being pledged for public health services in these proposals means that as well as protecting children and young people from becoming addicted, we can put much needed resources into providing the best support to help people already addicted to stop,” Fell explained.

Mark, from Durham, who started smoking when he was 14 years old, said:

“I really believed that if I didn’t contact the stop smoking service then I would end up dead. My breathing difficulties started with hay fever, which turned into asthma and then COPD. I was getting infections and antibiotics; this was a regular thing and I noticed I couldn’t walk upstairs without being breathless.

“Dealing with cravings at first was the hardest thing. I used a patch and a nasal spray to quit, it took some getting used to but I was really surprised how quick it worked. My advisor from the stop smoking service helped me with weekly calls, it really helped knowing that someone was going to ask me how I was doing and check up on my progress.”

Alice Wiseman, ADPH’s Policy Lead for Addiction, added:

“Most smokers start young and quickly become addicted. They regret ever starting but, because they are addicted, they struggle to quit, despite often trying multiple times.

“Put simply, addiction takes people’s freedom of choice away. This legislation will give people back their freedom to live healthier – and longer – lives. We must make it a reality.”