Dear LPG, 

I found myself at the doctor’s surgery the other day and a stop smoking poster  caught my eye as I was waiting and waiting.  A day or so later I read that the government are planning a radical change in the law surrounding smoking and, even though I have never got involved with cigarettes, I found myself getting out my phone for a google session. 

I remember when indoor smoking became illegal in July 2007 and, although I had to look up the date, it seems a long time ago now and I remember how difficult it was for some of my friends to do without.  Nearly 10 years on, there are not as many, but you just go past a shopping centre or office building at the right time of the working day to find someone taking a cigarette break outside, around the back of the shop or just beyond the front door. 

We have also heard the Government plans to have a smoke-free Britain by 2030, but I have my doubts, and I found out that this radical new measure is that they have debating raising the minimum age that you can buy cigarettes to 21.  

As I say I have never smoked, but I have a friend that I have spent years trying to deter without a lot of success.  But the frightening thing is that if you look at the statistics, it appears to be the youngest members of society which continue to make up the largest age group of smokers, which means that they have learned the habit despite all the knowledge we have of how bad it is for our health, and since the 2007 ban was put in place.

The age-related statistics show that we over 65-year-olds seem to be the age group with the lowest number of people still smoking, perhaps it is up to us to help discourage our grandchildren with one of those grandparent/grandchild chats from time to time, especially if we have managed to give up the habit ourselves. 

QF, Crofton Park

QF shares her findings… 

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