This film is part of Free

Smoking Ban

School pupils are quizzed about smoking.

News 1970 2 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

Schoolchildren are interviewed over smoking and whether they like the habit or not. They are also asked if they are pressured by their school not to smoke following moves by public health authorities to encourage young people not to smoke. This report is in response to new legislation for 1971 requiring health warnings on cigarette packets “WARNING by H.M. Government, SMOKING CAN DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH”. E-cigs come under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations of 2016.

Tobacco smoking and its links to cancer were first revealed in medical circles as early as the 1950s leading the Royal College of Physicians to lobby for a ban on advertising partially achieved in 1965 when all television adverts for cigarettes were banned. By 1982 the British Medical Association were pushing for a ban on all forms of tobacco advertising but it was not until the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act of 2002 that tobacco marketing was phased out over three years culminating in 2005 with an end to sponsorship of global events such as Formula 1 and snooker tournaments. More recent controls include hiding tobacco products from view and the introduction of plain packaging.