Leading doctors and nurses have today written to MPs across the political spectrum and urged them to get behind the world leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill (PDF) ahead a major parliamentary debate on Tuesday 26 November. The Bill represents a landmark opportunity to safeguard public health, reduce smoking rates, and address the alarming rise in youth vaping.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop any young person turning 15 from this year on from being legally sold a cigarette or other forms of tobacco and will ultimately lead to a smoke-free generation. In their letter, doctors and nurses reiterate the profound damage smoking has had on society, with cigarettes accounting for approximately 74,600 deaths and £46 billion in costs annually in England. At the same time, second-hand smoke exposure is responsible for numerous health issues, including respiratory infections, asthma, and even sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Medics also commend the Bill’s considerable measures to tackle the alarming rise in youth vaping, including powers to ban advertising and sponsorship, and to restrict flavours and packaging alongside the upcoming ban of disposable e-cigarettes. While vaping can be a valuable tool to help smokers quit, it is not risk free and the addictive nature of nicotine in these products can lead to a lifelong dependency. Data shows that almost one in 10 secondary school students now regularly vape and approximately one million people in England now vape despite never having been regular smokers. Without this Bill, the UK runs the risk of creating a whole generation of young people addicted to nicotine, despite having never smoked a cigarette.
By implementing stricter regulations on the sale and marketing of tobacco and vaping products, we can reduce the prevalence of these harmful substances to children and young people. The message from professionals working across all areas of health is clear; this legislation can and will save lives.
RCPCH President, Professor Steve Turner, said:
The majority of smokers wish they had never started. By stopping children and young people from falling prey to nicotine and tobacco addiction, whether that be from cigarettes or vapes, we decrease their chances of developing preventable diseases later in life and will protect our children and future generations from untold harms.
Tomorrow MPs are being presented with a historic opportunity to prevent disease, reduce inequality and ultimately save lives; we urge them to seize it.
Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said:
MPs have an opportunity to support one of the most monumental health interventions in decades. This bill will work to eradicate the single largest preventable cause of death in the UK, while directly tackling the alarming rise in youth vaping.
We must realise the ultimate ambitions of this legislation – to reduce the long-term health impacts for millions, eliminate significant future demands on our health service and create a healthier, more productive society. Crucially, we must have balanced regulation which ensures adults have access to vapes to help them quit smoking tobacco while preventing youth uptake.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
Nursing staff will always champion efforts to improve public health and reduce preventable illness and deaths. This is a historic Bill to create the first smoke-free generation.
Cutting the number of people smoking and stopping uptake in the first place is a crucial step towards preventing avoidable deaths. Nursing staff are on the frontline to prevent ill-health, of which smoking continues to be a major contributor, putting extra pressure on the health service.
Funding for life-saving stop smoking services in England has been cut by 13% since 2015, it is vital that people who already smoke have access to the support they need. We urge the government to increase investment in these services, many of which are delivered by nursing staff.
BMA board of science chair Professor David Strain and BMA public health medicine committee chair Dr Heather Grimbaldeston, said:
As the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature deaths in the UK, smoking causes misery and suffering for individuals and their loved ones, while putting unnecessary strain on already stretched health services. Tough action is long overdue, and this Bill presents an opportunity to finally begin to consign smoking tobacco in England and Wales to history.
Doctors have also become incredibly concerned with the youth vaping epidemic we’ve seen explode in our country over the last few years. This Bill is a major first step in fighting this epidemic and preventing these addictive, potentially harmful and environmentally damaging products finding their ways into young people’s hands and lungs. It’s imperative that MPs vote through this Bill to protect the public’s – and in particular children and young people’s – health.
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