Now the Tobacco and Vapes Act will become law, Cancer Research UK estimates nearly 1.8 million children growing up in London today – and around 13 million nationwide – will never be legally sold tobacco in the UK.**
If the new law has the impact the UK Government hopes, by 2040, up to 10 million fewer cigarettes will be smoked each day in the UK.***
This world-leading legislation to phase out the legal sale of tobacco will apply to children born on or after 1 January 2009.**** Not only will it help to stop people developing a deadly addiction, it could also alleviate pressure on the NHS, prevent tens of thousands of cancers and help create the UK’s first ever smokefree generation.
In the past decade alone, smoking has been responsible for nearly 70,000 cancer cases in London and more than 30,000 people in the city have lost their lives to cancer caused by tobacco.*****
After helping to uncover the link between tobacco and cancer in the 1950s, Cancer Research UK has spent decades researching and campaigning for action to tackle its harms, including new laws to prevent smoking indoors in public places, introducing plain packaging and graphic warnings on cigarette packs, and stopping the marketing of tobacco products. The charity welcomes the new law while also highlighting the need for it to be fully implemented across the UK.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive officer at Cancer Research UK said:
“This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children will grow up shielded from the lifelong harms of tobacco. It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already over stretched health service.
“Today’s milestone is the result of decades of research, overwhelming support in Parliament, tireless campaigning and backing from people whose lives have been devastated by smoking. Governments across the UK must now ensure the Act is implemented fully in every nation, alongside support to help people quit smoking. A future free from the lethal harms of tobacco is firmly within reach.”
Nothing would have a bigger impact on reducing the number of preventable deaths in the UK than ending smoking.
Around 62,000 people in London have lost their lives to tobacco over the past decade. And, across England, every year it’s estimated that smoking leads to over 400,000 hospital admissions, placing significant pressure on the system and costing the NHS approximately £1.8 billion to treat tobacco-related illnesses. Smoking doesn’t only have a devastating personal toll, it also impacts economic productivity. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) estimates that smoking costs the economy in England around £27.6 billion each year.******
Around 10.2% of people in London still smoke and need help to quit.******* With the harms of tobacco concentrated in more deprived communities, smoking is the biggest driver of health inequalities. Cancer Research UK is calling for the UK Government to ensure there is continued funding for stop smoking support, so everyone has access to the tools they need to quit for good.
CASE STUDY:
The Act was welcomed by thousands of people, including Londoner Susie Hartley, who smoked for 30 years before getting lung cancer.
Susie, 75. from Barnet, north London, started smoking as a teenager, long before she understood the dangers.
“Once I was hooked, it was too late – I went on to smoke for 30 years. Although both of my parents died of cancer, I still thought it was something that happens to other people, not me. I was still smoking 10 to 12 cigarettes a day until around five years before my lung cancer diagnosis.”
After developing a cough that wouldn’t go away, Susie was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2017 and invited to join the TRACERx study funded by Cancer Research UK. Susie’s treatment included surgery to remove part of her right lung and lymph nodes, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Now fully recovered, Susie wants to spread awareness about the damage smoking can cause.
She said “As a child, I was sent to the shops to buy cigarettes for my dad. Thanks to this law, the next generation – including my grandsons – won’t be allowed to be sold tobacco products and get hooked in the way that I did. I hope this means they grow up in a world where they’re horrified by the thought of smoking.
“I’m lucky to be alive today because of the care that I received. It’s wonderful to know that millions of young people will now grow up protected from the harms of tobacco addiction.
“I also hope that the government takes action to support people – like me – who want to quit but find it incredibly tough to do so.”