The Royal College of Physicians' special adviser on tobacco Professor Sanjay Agrawal today joined representatives from charities, academia, local government and other medical royal colleges for a discussion on the government's recently announced plans to create a smokefree generation.
Public health minister Neil O’Brien and the chief medical officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, today hosted a roundtable bringing together members of the Smokefree Action Coalition, including the RCP, to discuss the details of the proposed legislation.
They also discussed the challenges around youth vaping, and what can be done to prevent children from using vapes whilst also ensuring they remain available to adult smokers.
Professor Sanjay Agrawal, RCP's special adviser on tobacco, said:
“The government's proposals to tackle the increase in uptake of vaping among children and never-smokers are a welcome step. This roundtable was a good opportunity to discuss how measures can be implemented in a way that avoids the potential unintended consequence of discouraging adult smokers from quitting. Since we identified the link between smoking and cancer in the early 1960s, the RCP has been at the forefront of efforts to curb the harms of tobacco and delivering this legislation will be key to protecting future generations."
Read the RCP's full response to the government's plans to create a smokefree generation and our response to the government's consultation on youth vaping.