The British Thoracic Society welcomes the Government’s new initiative to create a smokefree generation by developing legislation to prevent children who are 14 or younger from ever being legally sold tobacco.
Our members witness the devastating effects of smoking on respiratory health on a daily basis. Each year, 64,000 people in England die from smoking and thirty times as many suffer from smoking-related diseases. (1). If approved by Parliament, this legislation will prevent future generations from losing their lives and damaging their lungs due to the harms of tobacco dependence.
The Society also welcomes the increased investment in tobacco dependency services and awareness campaigns. Stopping smoking leads to immediate improvements in respiratory health, and tobacco dependency programmes can encourage and support more people to quit. We know that in some parts of the UK, health inequalities contribute to higher rates of smoking, and we would like to see these funds targeted to the areas where they are needed the most.
The British Thoracic Society will continue to support tobacco dependence programmes across the four nations by producing clinical guidance and highlighting opportunities for quality improvement (2).
References
1. Action on Smoking for Health. Health Impact of Smoking of Core20 plus5. 2022. Accessed here.
2. Information on BTS’s Quality Improvement for Tobacco Dependency can be found on the BTS website, and further resources are available on the Respiratory Futures website here.
London, London WC1N 2PL
30/10/2023 16:35:18
British Thoracic Society
