The age at which people can legally buy tobacco in England should increase from 18 in a year every year until finally no one can buy it, has recommended a radical overhaul commissioned by the government to try to make smoking obsolete.
A total of 15 interventions are proposed to help achieve the government’s goal of no smoking by 2030. They include the promotion of vapors as an effective “smoking cessation change” tool to help people quit smoking. as well as improving prevention in the NHS so that smokers are offered support to quit smoking in every interaction they have with health services.
Other interventions recommended in the report include a tobacco license for retailers to limit their availability nationwide, a rethinking of the appearance of cigarette butts and packets to further reduce their appeal, and a media campaign. communication to encourage smokers to quit smoking.
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The review also calls for an additional £ 125 million a year to be invested in smoke-free policies, with an additional £ 70 million a year for smoking cessation services. The report adds: “If the government cannot finance it itself, it should make the polluter pay and introduce a tax on the tobacco industry or generate an additional corporation tax, with immediate effect.”
Nearly 6 million people in England smoke and tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death.
Dr Javed Khan, the former executive director of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, which led the review, said: “Without immediate and sustained action, England will lose its smoke-free target for many years and probably decades. .
“A smoke-free society should be a social norm, but to do that we need to do more to stop smoking, help those who already smoke and support those who are disproportionately affected by smoking. My holistic whole of recommendations for the government will offer this, while saving lives, saving money and addressing the health disparities associated with smoking.
“My proposals are not only a plan for this government, but also the successive governments. To truly achieve a smoke-free society in our great country, we must commit ourselves to making smoking obsolete, once and for all. “
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By far the most radical policy proposed is to raise the legal smoking age one year each year, to create a generation of smokeless people in England. It follows a similar policy that is being announced in New Zealand that will ban smoking for the next generation, so that those aged 14 and under will never be able to buy tobacco legally.
Health Foundation policy partner Grace Everest welcomed the review, but said it would only help create a smoke-free society if the government “chooses to comply” with its recommendations.
“It remains to be seen whether key proposals for the review, such as raising the age of sale of tobacco and making” polluters pay “for an additional investment in tobacco control) will be implemented in practice.
“With smoking being a major cause of preventable disease and premature death in England and a driver of our severe inequalities in life expectancy, not doing so would be a great missed opportunity to improve and improve the country’s health. the moment of bold action “.
Sarah Woolnough, CEO of Asthma + Lung UK, said the review could be a “plan for lasting change” and should be the backbone of the government’s tobacco control plan. “If these recommendations are ignored, the ambition to raise the level of government and its own smokeless 2030 goal will fail, making it difficult for the UK to take the title of Western Europe’s worst for lung health. “.
Jim McManus, president of the Association of Public Health Directors, said the proposals offer “a generational opportunity” not only to achieve, but to go beyond the goal of a smoke-free 2030 and make “a great difference in the health of the nation “. .
The recommendations will now be considered by ministers and a response will be published as part of the government’s white paper on health disparities.