Smokefree Generation a step closer as Tobacco and Vapes Bill gets Second Reading in Parliament

Today the UK moves closer to being the first country in the world to phase out the sale of tobacco to the next generation and end youth smoking, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill returns to Parliament for its Second Reading. The Bill will introduce the phased-out sale of tobacco for everyone born from 2009 onwards and give the Government much-needed powers to regulate vapes to curb youth vaping. Passing the Bill into law will make the UK the first country to introduce a “Smokefree Generation”.

The Bill will legislate across a number of areas to end the devastating health harms caused by tobacco, including:

• Banning tobacco sales to those born in or after 2009.
• Powers to extend indoor smoking restrictions to certain outdoor spaces, such as playgrounds and hospitals.
• Powers to introduce a retail licensing scheme for tobacco and vape products, with fines for breaches of the licence.
• Powers to create a registration system for tobacco and vaping products on the UK market.

The Bill will also give the Government powers to curb youth vaping while ensuring adult smokers can still use vapes to quit. These include:

• Powers to ban child-appealing branding.
• Ban on free vape distribution.
• Powers to regulate vape contents, flavours, displays, and promotions.
• Ban on vape vending machines.
• Ban on vape advertising and sponsorship.

It also extends rules to zero-nicotine vapes and all non-medicinal nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, while increasing enforcement powers. Some of these powers will come into place at a set date, following royal assent, while others will require further regulations and consultation (see Notes to the Editor).

Support for the Bill is widespread, with health organisations welcoming the Bill and the impact it will have on the nation’s health. The Bill has cross-party support, with MPs across the political spectrum welcoming it, and has strong public support across the political spectrum and every British constituency. [1]

Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive of ASH, said: “When this legislation passes, it will be the beginning of the end for smoking in this country. In the last Parliament, MPs from all parties backed this landmark legislation to phase out the sale of tobacco to the next generation, and we are sure the new Bill will enjoy similar cross-party support. Now the Government must match its level of ambition for the next generation by funding the support needed to help people who currently smoke, to stop.”

Professor Steve Turner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), 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. Today, MPs are being presented with a historic opportunity to prevent disease, reduce inequality and ultimately save lives; we urge them to seize it.”

John Maingay, Director of Policy at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Smoking has had a devastating impact on the nation's health for generations and is still linked to at least 15,000 deaths from heart disease in the UK each year. Bold measures such as raising the age of sale of tobacco each year will mean children will be protected from the serious harm tobacco does to our health. We also support moves to protect the most vulnerable in our society from harmful second-hand smoke near schools and hospitals. We urge all MPs to vote for this historic legislation, which we know the vast majority of the public supports.”

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The announcement of additional funding for smoking cessations services is desperately needed to help the tens of thousands of existing smokers who want to quit, which is incredibly difficult to do without support. Stop smoking services have suffered drastic cuts in recent years, but when they are appropriately funded, they do a fantastic job of supporting people to stop smoking for good.

“Today’s vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the crucial next step towards protecting younger generations from the harms of smoking, by stopping them from ever taking up cigarettes. However, it’s only by tackling the whole problem that we can truly begin to put a stop to the devasting effects this deadly addiction has on the health of the nation, and the huge burden it places on the NHS.”

Siva Anandaciva, Incoming Director of Policy, Events and Partnerships at The King’s Fund, said:
“There is strong public support to move to a smokefree generation. The passing of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would be a transformational piece of legislation for this country and is a bold and crucial step forward in preventing widespread ill-health, saving lives and reducing health inequalities.”

Dr Ian Walker, Executive Director of Policy at Cancer Research UK, said: “Tobacco still causes around 160 cancer cases every day in the UK. But with strong political will and bold action, these staggering numbers can be turned around.

“By voting in favour of this historic legislation, MPs have the power to help save lives and make the UK a world leader in tobacco control. Raising the age of sale of tobacco products and funding cessation support will save people from a deadly and costly addiction. I urge politicians to prioritise the health of the nation and help end cancers caused by smoking for good.”

Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “Most of us want a smokefree future for the next generation free of the death and disease of tobacco.

“Most people get addicted young, regret it and spend years trying to stop. This is about giving our next generation a life free of a cancer-causing addiction which costs tens of thousands of pounds over a lifetime and ends up killing 2 out of 3. It is part of building stronger, healthier communities and putting money into local people’s pockets, not those of tobacco companies.”

Professor David Strain, Chair of the BMA Board of Science, and Dr Heather Grimbaldeston, Chair of the BMA Public Health Medicine Committee, 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 the UK 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.”

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.”

ENDS

Notes to the Editor
Action on Smoking and Health is a health charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use. For more information see: ash.org.uk. ASH receives funding for its programme of work from Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

For interviews and more information, contact press@ash.org.uk

[1] Support stands at 74% among Labour voters (11% opposed), 70% among Conservatives (13% oppose), and 75% among Liberal Democrats (9% oppose) https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/news/press-releases/new-poll-shows-every-parliamentary-constituency-in-great-britain-backs-phasing-out-sale-of-tobacco

Table 1: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Breakdown