Government Plans to Create a Smoke-Free Generation in the UK

According to local British media outlet NWemail, members of the Health and Wellbeing Committee of the Westmorland and Furness Council in Cumbria County, UK, have expressed support for the government's initiative to create a "smoke-free generation." These measures aim to reduce the number of smokers to less than one-fifth of the total population by 2030.

Katrina Stephens, the Director of the Health Department at Westmoreland-Furness Council, will be submitting this response on behalf of the committee. The government has also announced additional funding support for smoking cessation services nationwide, and it is anticipated that Westmoreland-Furness Council will receive a grant of £250,000 to £275,000 to advance this initiative.

Mrs. Stephens expressed her delight with the increase in funding, stating, "This will enable us to enhance the smoking cessation support services for our citizens.

In an effort to decrease the smoking rate, the government plans to make it illegal for individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, to purchase tobacco products. Additionally, they will impose restrictions on the scent and promotion of e-cigarettes to ensure that their aroma no longer appeals to children.

The government is also planning to regulate the sales display of retail stores, in order to separate e-cigarettes from products that appeal to children, and is considering restrictions on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, as it is related to the increase in child smokers. Ms. Stevens added:

These proposals will undoubtedly be the biggest changes in our attitude towards smoking to date, as excessive smoking remains the largest driving factor of health inequality and the leading cause of unnecessary and premature deaths.

In Barrow, 21% of adults are smokers, compared to approximately 13% of adults in all of England.

The government has set a target to achieve a smoke-free UK by 2030. This means that by this year, the smoking population will decrease to less than 5% of the total population. A report highlights that Lancashire and South Cumbria have yet to reach this goal.

According to Ms. Stevens, in order for Westmorland-Furness to achieve this goal, the region will need 10,000 individuals to quit smoking, and this number must not increase in any way.