Smoking ban: Health experts welcome ban which could see fewer people taking up smoking

The bill has now comfortably passed through its first vote in Parliament and, if it makes it through, would be a landmark public health intervention.

Transcript

00:00We know that smoking remains the biggest cause of cancer and death in the UK, and this legislation

00:08could help create the first ever smoke-free generation where people would never become

00:13addicted to tobacco in the first place.

00:16Cancer Research UK and other anti-smoking groups have been pushing for a move like the

00:20Tobacco and Vapes Bill for years now. In particular, a ban that targets young people, as they found

00:25almost 9 in 10 people who smoke report taking up smoking before the age of 21.

00:30We have been campaigning for action on smoking for over a decade, and most recently through

00:36our Smoke Free UK campaign, which was calling on action just like this one. And with the

00:42help of our supporters, our campaigners and our partners, we're really pleased that we've

00:48managed to push for this legislation.

00:50Now fewer people are smoking than ever, but despite this, 6.4 million of us here in the

00:55UK do still smoke, and smoking still causes around 150 cases of cancer every single day.

01:02Smoking kills one person every five minutes in the UK. It's still the biggest cause of

01:09cancer and death, and we know that what that means is that means that families will lose

01:15loved ones, and this is wholly preventable.

01:19Critics of the legislation say the ban is unfair. It creates a two-tiered system where

01:24older adults will be able to buy tobacco, while younger adults won't. But the law is

01:28geared up to prevent people from ever lighting that first cigarette.

01:32We know that smoking is an addiction, and that for the people who currently smoke, they

01:36need support to quit. However, what this can do is that it can prevent the new generation,

01:42people who haven't yet been impacted from this addiction, from taking it up. And that's

01:47why it's really popular with the public, it's popular with retailers, because this

01:52is about saving lives, helping to ease pressure on the NHS, and helping the economy.