North East campaigners call on Ministers for more action to make smoking history
NORTH East campaigners are calling on Ministers for more action to make smoking history for children after New Zealand announced laws to stop children aged 14 and under ever being able to legally buy tobacco.
Fresh is calling on the Government to introduce new age of sale laws to raise the legal tobacco age of sale to 21 in England – a move which would be supported by nearly two thirds of adults in the North East.
It comes as New Zealand announced it is introducing a “sinking lid” approach on the sale of sale of tobacco to children and Fresh says this highlights the need to turn off the tap of today’s children becoming the lung cancer patients of the future.
Smoking has killed a staggering 8 million people in the UK in the last 50 years, 26% of all deaths and in the North East, around 113,000 people since the year 2000.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance said: “There are few families in the North East who have not seen the horrors of watching a loved one die from smoking. We need more action now at national level to turn off the tap of children becoming smokers. Further action is absolutely key to reducing health inequalities and the misery caused.
“Not everyone will agree with the measures in New Zealand – but it shows the importance of helping today’s adult smokers to quit while stopping children from starting. Smoking kills at least 1 in 2 long term users – it is doubtful cigarettes would ever be allowed on the market if they were invented today.
“There are proposals on the table now in England to raise the age of sale to 21 which would make it an offence to sell but not criminalise those who buy. We urge parliamentarians to support the tobacco amendments tabled to the draft Health and Care Bill. Bold ambitious action is urgently needed whilst tobacco companies pretend to care but every day they get more young customers addicted to replace people who die or quit.”
She added: “Public resources to reduce smoking are stretched and it is action like this at national level which will have the most impact on reducing youth smoking, while focusing on helping more adults quit or switch to vaping or NRT will reduce the impact on the NHS and local authorities now.”
In June, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health warned the Government that it can only build back better and fairer from the pandemic by making smoking obsolete.
The cross-party group of MPs and peers called on the government for new measures such as raising age of sale to 21, a levy on tobacco companies to help fund programmes that reduce smoking, more action on illegal tobacco, and targeted investment to provide additional support to help smokers quit in regions and communities where smoking does most damage, such as more investment in awareness campaigns and stop smoking support.
North East shop owner John McClurey has backed an age of sale law of 21 in England and said: “The fact is that tobacco is a deadly product and no one wants their children to start smoking. The longer we can delay young people being able to buy tobacco the less chance they’ll have of becoming smokers.”
A rise in the England age of sale law to 21 is also backed by ex-smoker and cancer survivor Sue Mountain, from South Tyneside underwent laser treatment in 2012 after a biopsy revealed she had laryngeal cancer. The cancer returned in 2017 which required radiotherapy every day for four weeks.
Sue said: “I know the heartbreak that smoking can cause. I started when I was a kid, before I realised how addictive it was. I don’t want my grandchildren to go through what I went through. I think my view will be shared by many people who have smoked – it makes you even more concerned your loved ones don’t follow. I could have bought half a house with the money I spent on smoking instead of cancer.”