23rd September marks just 100 days to go until the Tobacco and Vapes Act becomes law. This landmark law will protect future generations from tobacco and creates the first smokefree generation.
To mark the countdown, public health leaders across Cheshire and Merseyside are calling out for residents to share their support for the change as part of a new campaign, 100 Days, 100 Voices.
From 1 January 2027, it will become illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The age of sale will then rise by one year every year, gradually phasing out tobacco sales.
Public health leaders from across the region are inviting young people, members of the public, stop smoking teams and health professionals, to share why they support the new law. To get involved, you’re invited to send a video, voice note, or message showing support for the new Bill via social media – reach out on Instagram at @smoking_endshere or on the Facebook page, Smoking Ends Here.
The Tobacco & Vapes Act represents a major shift in the UK’s approach to tobacco – moving beyond helping people quit after they become addicted towards preventing future generations from becoming addicted in the first place. The measure is expected to protect around four million young people nationally from tobacco within the next five years.
In Cheshire and Merseyside, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, contributing to more than 74,600 deaths each year. It also comes at a significant financial cost, with smoking estimated to cost the region £1.75 billion annually, including £175 million in direct health and care spending. For individual smokers, the habit drains an average of £2,338 a year from household budgets.
Independent research from the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative found that 77% of smokers across Cheshire and Merseyside regret ever starting and over 65% say their lives would be much better if they had quit. Most smokers take up the habit before the age of 18, with earlier starting linked to greater dependency and poorer chances of quitting successfully.
Prof. Ian Ashworth, Director of Population Health for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said:
“The smokefree generation is something we have been campaigning on for years, and it is great to see it finally being
introduced. With just 100 days now on the clock, we’re asking people from across Cheshire and Merseyside to share their opinions about this life-saving law. Every story we collect between now and January will help show just how much support there is for protecting the next generation’s future, a future that will be shielded from tobacco addiction before it ever has the chance to take hold.
“We’ve seen time and again that the majority of smokers wish they’d never picked up a cigarette in the first place, which is exactly why stopping that first cigarette matters so much. Over the next 100 days, we want as many people as possible to get behind this campaign and help make this change be felt in every community across Cheshire and Merseyside.”
Dr Sarah McNulty, Director of Public Health for Knowsley and Lead Director of Public Health for Cheshire and Merseyside’s All Together Smoke Free programme, said:
“We know that two in three smokers will have their lives cut short, and smoking continues to cost families and the NHS enormously across our region. The smoke-free generation gives us a genuine chance to break that cycle for good, so that children growing up today never face the same risk of addiction their parents and grandparents did.
“There is already so much backing for this change, with most people telling us they just don’t want to see another generation take up smoking. We want to spread that support far and wide as we count down to January, using the 100 Days, 100 Voices campaign to spread the importance of creating the UK’s first-ever smoke-free generation.”
