Smoking and vaping: the need for action
Current and former UK chief medical officers (CMOs) and current deputy CMOs write for The Times on the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
This article was originally published in The Times.
Millions of smokers want to quit, but cannot due to an addiction to nicotine that started at a young age. It is an addiction they know could well kill them, but is now trapping them. Over 80% of smokers start before the age of 20, many as children, after persistent marketing. Starting smoking feels easy - stopping it later once nicotine has got its grip is really hard with the great majority of people who smoke wishing they had never started. For too many smoking becomes a lifelong, life limiting, deeply regretted addiction. To be pro individual choice should mean being against deliberate addiction of children, young people and young adults to something that will harm them, potentially fatally.
Over the life course addiction to smoking damages individuals, families and society. From stillbirth in pregnant women, through asthma in children due to passive smoking, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes, 15 different types of cancer, to premature dementia in older age, smoking blights lives. Smoking remains the UK’s biggest preventable killer resulting in around 80,000 deaths a year and is a major driver of socioeconomic and geographic inequalities. Passive smoking of second-hand smoke, including by children, damages health for life. The NHS carries the burden of trying to undo some of the damage smoking causes.
Parliament is about to debate a bill which will, if passed, produce enormous public health benefit and we hope lead to a smokefree generation. At the same time it will help to ensure the flagrant marketing of vapes to children using colours, flavours and packaging is reduced. The overwhelming majority of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, who have seen the misery nicotine addiction causes, will support this bill. Vapes can help smokers quit. But if you don’t smoke, our advice is don’t vape, and marketing of vapes to children is utterly unacceptable. The public, agrees; a smokefree generation is supported by the majority of the public.
We strongly encourage MPs and peers from all 4 nations and all political parties to support a smokefree generation and restrictions of marketing of vapes to children. If passed, the bill will be a major public health achievement by Parliament to prevent the future misery, disease and death caused by nicotine addiction.
Current chief medical officers:
- Professor Sir Chris Whitty, CMO for England
- Professor Sir Michael McBride, CMO for Northern Ireland
- Professor Sir Gregor Smith, CMO for Scotland
- Professor Sir Frank Atherton, CMO for Wales
Former chief medical officers:
- Professor Dame Sally Davies, former CMO for England
- Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, former CMO for England
- Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, former CMO for England and Scotland
- Dr Henrietta Campbell, former CMO for Northern Ireland
- Dr James McKenna, former CMO for Northern Ireland
- Professor Catherine Calderwood, former CMO for Scotland
- Professor Aileen Keel, former CMO for Scotland
- Professor Sir Harry Burns, former CMO for Scotland
- Dr Ernest Macalpine Armstrong, former CMO for Scotland
- Sir David Carter, former CMO for Scotland
- Dr Ruth Hussey, former CMO for Wales
- Dr Tony Jewell, former CMO for Wales
- Dr Ruth Hall, former CMO for Wales
- Dame Deirdre Hine, former CMO for Wales
Current deputy chief medical officers:
- Professor Thomas Waite, Deputy CMO for England
- Dr Jeanelle DeGruchy, Deputy CMO for England
- Dr Aidan Fowler, Deputy CMO for England
- Professor Lourda Geoghegan, Deputy CMO for Northern Ireland
- Dr Naresh Chada, Deputy CMO for Northern Ireland
- Professor Marion Bain, Deputy CMO for Scotland
- Professor Nicola Steedman, Deputy CMO for Scotland
- Professor Graham Ellis, Deputy CMO for Scotland
- Professor Chris Jones, Deputy CMO for Wales