The Tobacco and Vapes Act is about common sense and fairness
Cathy Hunt, a mum of four from County Durham, was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2015 and ended up with half a lung removed. She writes about why she supports the Tobacco and Vapes Act which received Royal Assent this week
“For too long, smoking has been sold as a matter of “personal choice.” But anyone who has watched a loved one struggle to quit knows the truth: tobacco addiction strips away freedom. It keeps people trapped for decades, and then hands the bill to families, communities, and the taxpayer.
“Most people who smoke start as children – myself at the age of 11. I grew up in a poor family and it was normal to smoke.
“I was diagnosed with lung cancer just before I turned 50, caused by smoking. Telling my children I had lung cancer was much worse than the surgery – my daughter was right in the middle of her GCSEs.
“I remember all the glamorous cigarette adverts from my youth. Believe me, there is nothing glamorous about having the scar from breaking into my ribs and cutting into my lungs, and not being able to wear the clothes I would want to.
“I’ve blamed myself over many sleepless nights and hospital visits. But tobacco companies prefer it that way. They thrive on keeping people addicted and buying more cigarettes. Most smokers start before they’re old enough to understand the risks, and by the time they do, quitting can be hard.
“That’s why raising the age of sale for tobacco under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is not nanny-state—it’s about common sense and fairness. There’s no other thing on shop shelves as lethal as tobacco – nothing else that kills 2 in 3 lifelong customers.
“We all know the NHS is under strain and smoking adds to these pressures. When I was in hospital the doctors and nurses who saved my life at the time were incredible – but this will be ongoing for the rest of my life. Every year I have to go back to hospital for scans which are time consuming and expensive. I can’t understand why tobacco companies out of their billions are not being made to pay something towards that through a levy.
“Nobody who starts smoking young ever means to smoke for life. It robs people of productive years, pushes families into poverty through lost income and long-term sickness, and leaves children growing up without parents or grandparents who should still be there.
“Raising the age of sale is a forward-looking step that protects the next generation from having their free choice taken away and from being lured into addiction in the first place. Fewer smokers means fewer hospital beds filled, fewer lives cut short, and fewer families pushed into hardship.
“I’ve never met a smoker who doesn’t wish they could quit. And more than anything people don’t want their own children to smoke. It doesn’t matter whichever political party they support. In my part of the world, people already seen more than enough friends and loved ones suffer and die from it.
“The Tobacco and Vapes Act might not stop every child from smoking but it will help many avoid it. I want our children to grow up and live their lives to their full potential – and that includes not being drawn into toxic tobacco and the death and misery it brings.”