Greater Manchester welcomes major announcement from the Government to create a smokefree generation
Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership has warmly welcomed a Government announcement this week to reduce smoking in the next generation of people.
In his speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Wednesday 4 October, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set out plans to stop children getting hooked on smoking, by raising the legal age of sale every year.
The plans also include doubling funding for local stop smoking services, increased funding for “quit smoking” campaigns and tackling illicit tobacco and vapes.
Read more on the Government’s website.
Tobacco harm costs Greater Manchester’s economy £910m each year and 5,700 people die each year from smoking-related causes.
Sarah Price, Chief Officer for Population & Health Inequalities at NHS Greater Manchester, said:
“This is a historic moment. I look back on when the smokefree law came into effect and the societal shift it brought about – and this is another vital step forward.
“Tobacco is a uniquely harmful product. There’s no other legal product out there which kills two in three consumers when used exactly as intended. In Greater Manchester, too many communities are still suffering from the harms of tobacco and the Government’s commitment to see a generation which grows up smokefree is warmly welcomed.
“People in Greater Manchester want to see an end to the health inequalities starkly felt across their communities and an end to young people getting hooked on smoking, so it’s fantastic that the Government has announced plans to raise the age of sale on cigarettes, plus tougher enforcement action on tobacco and vapes.
“Additional funding announced for local stop smoking services and for mass media campaigns will support our successful, collaborative and comprehensive approach to Making Smoking History and delivering a Smokefree 2030 together across our city region.”
Including the announcements made in the PM’s speech:
- Legislate to raise the age of sale one year every year from 2027 onwards
- Double the funding for local authority Stop Smoking Services from next year
- Increase funding for awareness raising campaigns by £5 million this year and £15 million from next year onwards
- Increase funding for enforcement on illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes by £30 million from next year
- Launch a consultation shortly on specific measures to tackle the increase in youth vaping
