The UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) welcomes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduced to Parliament today.
These proposals, which include annually raising the legal age of tobacco sale and new measures to protect people from the harms of second-hand smoke, are a significant step towards addressing the immense harm caused by smoking to individuals, families, the NHS, and our economy.
Despite progress, smoking remains the single greatest cause of health inequalities in the UK; driving death, disability, dementia and poverty across the whole population, but particularly in the most vulnerable groups where smoking rates remain stubbornly high.
Every year around 76,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illness. It is estimated that smoking costs the NHS and the economy £17 billion a year.
FPH President Professor Kevin Fenton said:
“With 4 in 5 smokers starting before the age of 20, most people who smoke now wish they had never started. These new measures will protect future generations from the harmful impacts of smoking and support people across the UK in having the best chance at a long, healthy, and productive life.
“Smoking damages the health of not only the smoker, but those who breathe in second-hand smoke, particularly impacting those at increased risk of illness including elderly people, those who are pregnant, or who may already be vulnerable due to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, or lung disease.
“These new measures represent an opportunity to drastically reduce the number of preventable deaths in the UK, bolster the life chances of generations to come, and save our NHS and our economy billions of pounds.”
