Professor Des Cox:

The harmful effects of tobacco are obviously very well documented, and we all know we need to protect people against the harmful effects of tobacco. Our rates are declining, but again, there has been a stalling of the numbers in recent years. To quote the ESPAD study from 2019, the decline in smoking in children had halted for the first time in 25 years at 14% and it actually increased in boys to 16%, while it was 13% for girls. There is a concern. This is probably multifactorial due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our group believes tobacco control is probably not as sexy and people look to other public health measures, but it is still the most devastating and problematic chronic public health issue in this country and many other countries. From our perspective, we would certainly strongly encourage any measures that can increase tobacco control legislation and help people to get away from the dangers of tobacco.