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A Government-commissioned review calling for a radical shake-up of tobacco laws also suggests smoking should be banned on pavements and beaches in England. Led by Dr Javed Khan OBE, the proposal wants to annually raise the legal age tobacco can be bought – until no one can buy it.
The age of sale would rise from 18 by one year every year so children today will never be able to purchase tobacco products.
If implemented by 2026, this would mean anyone aged 14 and under now would never be able to buy a cigarette.
This is similar to a model in New Zealand, where purchasing tobacco products will be banned to everyone born after 2008.
In the report published today, Dr Khan set out 15 recommendations for action, including banning tobacco sales in supermarkets and introducing mass stop-smoking campaigns on TV and social media.
It warns ministers will not meet their pledge to make England smoke-free by 2030 unless reforms are urgently brought in.
The radical proposal points to four critical ‘must dos’ to be acted upon immediately.
These include an extra £125 million per year into smokefree 2030 policies, increasing the age of sale by one year annually and promoting vaping.
The fourth is prevention in the NHS, meaning healthcare workers take every opportunity to advise and support smokers into quitting.
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Of the call for increased funding, the report says: “If the Government cannot fund this themselves, they should make the polluter pay and either introduce a tobacco industry levy, or generate additional corporation tax, with immediate effect.”
Smoking could also be banned on all premises selling food and drink, with the suggestion of a ban outside cafes, restaurants and pubs.
A ban “in all outdoor areas where children are present”, such as public beaches, is recommended.
Dr Khan writes: “Looking back, it’s hard to believe that banning smoking inside pubs and restaurants could ever have been so controversial.
“Now, even smokers back the law. Yet we are still exposing children and families to second-hand smoke in pub gardens and pavement cafes across the country.
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“Worse still, some outlets have devised ‘smoking shelters’ so extreme, that while technically within the law, they offer staff and customers next to no protection from the toxic smoke.”
The Government’s plan to make England smoke-free by 2030 – a milestone identified by five percent of fewer adults smoking – will be missed at the current rate.
Every year, smoking causes nearly one in five cancer cases and is responsible for more than one in four cancer deaths.
Almost six million people in England still smoke.
Dr Khan put the annual cost to society of smoking at around £17 billion – £2.4 billion to the NHS alone.
He believes “making smoking obsolete in England would lift around 2.6 million adults and one million children out of poverty”.
The report also suggests councils should work to make 70 percent of council housing new tenancies and new developments smoke-free.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “Twelve billion pounds pours out of smokers’ pockets each year exacerbating the cost of living crisis in our poorest communities. Only by making smoking obsolete can the government deliver on its levelling up mission for health and wellbeing policy.”
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer, with 1 in 4 deaths from all cancers estimated to be from smoking in the UK. The scale of the issue is undeniable, yet England remains off track to become smokefree by 2030, and for the most deprived this won’t be achieved until the mid-2040s.”
Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at British American Tobacco, which makes Lucky Strike and Pall Mall, said: “To achieve the UK Government’s smoke-free 2030 target, a holistic approach that recognises the role of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products is essential to achieve tobacco harm reduction.
“We welcome further recognition of the potential for vapour products to reduce the harm caused by cigarettes.
“As we are currently reviewing the report in detail, we are unable to comment further at this point.”
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