Region’s MPs urged to vote ‘yes’ to a smokefree generation
NEW analysis by Cancer Research UK estimates up To 910,000 fewer cigarettes will
be smoked in the East of England each day by 2040, if a proposed law to raise the
age of sale of tobacco is successfully implemented.
If passed by MPs, it would raise the legal age of sale of tobacco products in England by one year every year, meaning anyone born on or after January 1 st , 2009 will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes. As the legislation – introduced to Parliament on 20 March – now heads towards a crucial vote later this spring, the charity has released the staggering figure to urge the region’s MPs to make history by helping to create the first smokefree generation.
Between now and 2040, around the time the first of these youngsters will turn 30, the number of cigarettes that would go unsmoked across the UK would add up to tens of billions.
That’s if the Government’s best-case modelling of a 90% reduction in rates of young people across England taking up smoking is achieved. This could have a profound impact in the East of England, where tobacco kills one person every 50 minutes and is responsible for around 4,900 cancer deaths each year.**
That’s why Cancer Research UK is calling on the public to get involved to help protect the region’s young people from a future of potential ill health and disease.
People are being encouraged to email their MP to vote in favour of the legislation at
cruk.org/SmokefreeGeneration.
The charity’s East of England spokesperson, Shelley Baxter, said: “The biggest cause of cancer has no place in our future. As our analysis suggests, fast-forward to 2040, and the statistics could tell a very different story. Up to 910,000 fewer cigarettes smoked each day in the region would mean more people living longer,
healthier lives, free from the fear of cancer.
“Nothing would have a bigger impact on reducing the number of preventable deaths
in the East of England than ending smoking. So, we must make sure our MPs are
behind this critically important Age of Sale legislation. Together, we can make a
smokefree generation a reality.”
Tobacco is the one legal consumer product that will kill most of its users if used as
instructed by the manufacturer. It causes at least 15 different types of cancer,
including two of the most common, lung and bowel cancer.
While Cancer Research UK’s latest analysis focuses on cigarettes, all products that
contain tobacco are harmful and increase cancer risk, so it has welcomed the
Government’s announcement that the legislation will apply to all tobacco products –
including heated tobacco devices.
Evidence shows that smoking rates go down with government action and its thanks
to this that smoke-filled pubs and workplaces, tobacco advertising and branded
packs have been consigned to the past.
The charity says Age of Sale legislation is a vital next step on the journey to a
smokefree UK and would create a lasting legacy for its young people that the nation
can be proud of.
Play a part at cruk.org/SmokefreeGeneration
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