A Surgeon turned MP is taking on big tobacco and vape companies in a bid to create a “smoke free generation” after years treating victims.
Zubir Ahmed, a transplant specialist, has told of seeing the devastating impact of cigarette addiction in patients who have been unable to stop even after having their legs amputated.
And the Glasgow South West MP, who has been appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the department of health, is now determined to help pass new laws which could see tobacco sales banned forever to any child born after January 2009.
He is also determined to see the legislation crack down on vape companies cynically marketing products to children with colourful flavours like Ice Lemonade and Cotton Candy.
Ahmed, who became a Labour MP last year after almost two decades in the NHS, said: “As a doctor and surgeon I was only ever able to save one life at a time, but at in the committee rooms in Westminster I will be able to contribute to saving the lives of millions.
“Even the concept of a ‘smoke free generation’ would have been laughed at 25 years ago yet it is now – with our latest bill going through Westminster – within touching distance across the UK.
“I have spent the last three weeks in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill committee scrutinising legislation that will see every child born after 1 st January 2009 never being allowed to smoke and will further control the sale of vapes, particularly those targeted at children.
“Smoking of course is a devastating addiction for the smoker but also those around them. It is the cause of numerous cardiovascular diseases and cancers and it uniquely harms bystanders due to passive inhalation.”
There are over 8,000 smoking related deaths every year in Scotland, accounting for around 20per cent of all deaths.
Meanwhile around 41,000 smoking-attributable hospital admissions are recorded a year.
Once passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ensures anyone under 15 in 2024 will never legally purchase tobacco, even as adults.
It will also regulate the design of vapes while banning vape advertising and sponsorship.
Ahmed added: “As a vascular surgeon I have seen the devastating impact of both direct and inhaled smoke on my patients.
“Many of my patients continue to smoke even after undergoing amputation of their legs, such is the devastating nature of this addiction. Smoking is therefore never a choice, it is a compulsion and an illness.
“I am so glad my government is calling time on it for future generations and breaking this cycle of addiction once and for all.”
Ahmed, who grew up in a working class household before being awarded a scholarship to attend Hutchesons’ Grammar School, added: “Where I grew up in Govanhill many of my neighbours in our tenement smoked. I remember vividly the smoke wafting through our close into our flat and thinking even then what damage it might be doing.
“When I started as a junior doctor there were still smoking rooms in hospital wards where I would go to take blood from my patients.
“But then the Health Act in 2006 saw smoking banned in Scotland in indoor publics spaces. It made places like the inside of hospitals smoke free zones overnight.
“What was so contentious then seems so natural and instinctive now – that smoke in enclosed spaces is unacceptably harmful and exposure to it must be controlled.
“That is why it is so important that through this new bill we take the next steps to further avoid the harms of smoking for a new generation. The current tobacco and vapes bill is UK wide. It strengthens the existing ban to outdoor public spaces including play parks to protect children and vulnerable people.
While smoking has been in decline among young people vape use has rocketed in recent years on the back of brightly coloured products in dozens of flavours which appear to be marketed directly at children.
Last year a shocking 19per cent of children in Scotland aged 11-17 said they had tried vaping, and in 2022, 25per cent of 15-year-olds admitted they had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days.
While the health effects are unclear the products contain chemicals and often nocotine which in ingested into the lungs with every puff.
Ahmed added: “The Vape industry is growing and with more of the tobacco big hitters such as British American Tobacco (BAT), Altria Group, Imperial Brands all diversifying into this market as well as some new players on the scene, we know that simply jumping out of the cigarette fire and into the vape frying pan isn’t the answer either, particularly for our children.
“Vapes, of course, have a part to play for many adults trying to come off cigarettes and this must be facilitated. But parents will know that increasingly vapes are being directly marketed at children as tobacco companies seeks a new market and customer for the addictive properties of nicotine.
“It is obvious for all to see who appealing sounding flavours such as ‘Ice Lemonade’ and ‘Cotton Candy Sweets’ vapes are aimed at. And as the evidence to some of the harms of vapes evolves, I am proud that my government is taking action to protect our children.
“This bill will also ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted and advertised to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine. It will see vapes places behind closed cabinets with proper and appropriate health warnings on them.
“My lived clinical experience of the understanding of the reality of the health implications of tobacco and vapes made me even more passionate about serving on this committee and making sure that we had every aspect of it ironed out this law is fully published.
“Creating a healthier Scotland and Britain isn’t a slogan, it’s a mission. And a mission that this UK government takes very seriously – making a smoke free nation will take a massive step towards that.
“I believe we can finally create a smoke free generation, who will have the opportunity to become the healthiest generation that has ever lived.”