Letter to the New Statesman

In response to article about phasing out the sale of tobacco.

Rachel Cunliffe’s claim that phasing out the sale of tobacco threatens democracy overlooks a more serious injustice. Smoking remains the UK’s leading cause of preventable death. These are not abstract statistics but real people whose lives are cut short, often after years of ill health. The burden falls heaviest on those facing inequality.

Meanwhile, the primary beneficiaries of this status quo are tobacco companies, whose profits depend on addiction and harm. Framing measures to reduce smoking as an erosion of freedom risks overlooking who truly holds power.

Policies aimed at ending the cycle of addiction and disease are not an attack on democracy, but an effort to protect public health and reduce inequality. A society that allows preventable harm to persist unchecked is surely the greater concern.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive, Action on Smoking and Health