Residents across the city region are supporting the government’s plans to create a smokefree generation to protect children and young people from the harms of smoking.

It is anticipated that a new Bill will be tabled at Parliament shortly which will introduce a package of measures to support the Prime Minister’s pledge to create a smokefree generation.

Smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer so stopping young people from ever starting to smoke will protect an entire generation, and future generations, from the harms of tobacco as they grow up.

The measures to create a smokefree generation will save tens of thousands of lives and save the health and social care system billions of pounds. As well as aiming to stop young people from starting smoking in the first place.

Here’s what some residents of Greater Manchester think…

The measures come as part of the government’s response to its consultation on smoking and vaping [1], which was launched in October last year.

The specific measures will include:

• A ban on disposable vapes which have driven an alarming rise in youth vaping.
• New powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging, and change how vapes are displayed in shops so that they don’t appeal to children.
• A new law which will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge to create a smokefree generation.
• It will also include new fines for shops which sell vapes illegally to children and empower trading standards officers to act ‘on the spot’ to tackle underage tobacco and vape sales.

Mum of five, Debbie Lindsay from Chadderton smoked from the age of 15 and had to give up her job as a teacher due to COPD caused by smoking. She has now managed to quit smoking and supports plans for a smokefree future.

Tobacco remains the single preventable cause of ill health, disability, and death in the country, responsible for 5,700 deaths in Greater Manchester each year and more than 24,000 hospital admissions to treat smoking-related illnesses.

Greater Manchester’s smoking rates fell to a record low of around 1 in 7 people in  2022 [2] but there is still a long way to go to achieve its ambition of being a smokefree city-region by 2030 – when adult smoking prevalence falls to 5% or less.

This is why NHS Greater Manchester is working with partners from all 10 local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle the harms of tobacco and offer support for smokers to quit.

By working together, they can help reduce health inequalities across Greater Manchester and protect future generations by stopping young people from starting smoking in the first place.

Jane Pilkington, Director of Population Health at NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, said: “Smoking is our greatest cause of preventable death and disability in Greater Manchester. If we can end that cycle of harm, then we will transform the health and lives of our population.

“There is overwhelming support in Greater Manchester for a smokefree generation policy as eight in ten people in the city-region support making smoking history.  Creating a smokefree generation is one of the most impactful things the government can do to protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco, and to help people who currently smoke to stop.”

Debbie Watson, Tameside Council’s Director of Public Health and Chair of the Greater Manchester Public Health Leadership Network said: “We are delighted that the Government is prioritising ending the harms of smoking by introducing new legislation which will prevent our biggest cause of cancer, stop the start of young smokers and create a better life for our children.

“We also welcome plans to restrict the access and desirability of vapes to children, as marketing these products to young people is totally unacceptable. However, we know that vaping is one of the most effective ways for adult smokers to quit and is significantly less harmful than smoking. Therefore, we need to ensure that any response is measured with this and that products remain available to help people switch and reduce the most lethal harms of tobacco.”

[1] Policy paper: Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation. 5 October 2023

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stopping-the-start-our-new-plan-to-create-a-smokefree-generation/stopping-the-start-our-new-plan-to-create-a-smokefree-generation#smoking—stopping-the-start

[2] ONS  – Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2022

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies /bulletins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2022