World Tobacco Day - Britain's status as a world leader on tobacco control is now slipping
01 Jun 2013
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s shadow public health minister, warns that Britain’s status as a leader on tobacco control is ‘on the slide’ on World Tobacco Day. She said:
‘It’s a real shame that Britain’s hard-earned status as a world leader on tobacco control is on the slide because of David Cameron, Lynton Crosby and their friends in big business.
‘Smoking remains the major preventable cause of death and disability, and plain packaging leads to fewer people falsely believing that lighter colours are healthier than others. We need action, because marketing is known to pull children into smoking and the pack is just another marketing tool.
‘The last British Labour government showed leadership in bringing about real change on tobacco control. We introduced the smoking ban in pubs and enclosed spaces, ended sports sponsorship and billboard advertising, raised the legal age of purchasing cigarettes and put graphic warnings on cigarette packs. But doctors are right to remind us that smoking it is still the single biggest preventable cause of early death and illness.’
--ENDS—
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