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Hazel Cheeseman

@hazelcheeseman.bsky.social
4K followers 1.7K following 290 posts

Chief Executive at UK public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) www.ash.org.uk

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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The idea that people want AI oversight to happen "all of a sudden" ignores years of research, warnings, and policy efforts. The delay hasn’t been a lack of awareness; it’s been because of years of industry lobbying against regulation, political resistance, and inaction.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
📢 The Govt is consulting on proposals to reduce the appeal of vapes to young people. You can respond here: consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/tobacco-and-... ASH's guide on responding is HERE: ash.org.uk/campaigns/th...
consultations.dhsc.gov.uk
Tobacco and vapes: packaging, appearance and display - Department of Health and Social Care
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James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
There are other reasons to do it, but tbh 'wrecking ball to the gambing industry' is enough incentive
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
🎥 Watch our Policy and Public Affairs Manager John Waldron give evidence to the London Assembly Health Committee on youth vaping.
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Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP) @lhgp.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
LHGP Director Prof. Anna Gilmore and Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Exec of @ashorguk.bsky.social, are today speaking at The King's Fund's prevention conference, examining what works, what gets in the way, and what leaders need to do next. www.kingsfund.org.uk/events/preve...
kingsfund.org.uk
From evidence to impact: making prevention stick | The King's Fund
The UK faces profound health challenges. Prevention can help – but is often sidelined when pressure mounts. Join us to explore how to keep progress going when the system is under strain.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We were pleased to host an event yesterday bringing together 150 colleagues from across the South of England, focusing on how we can work together to implement the upcoming smokefree generation policy, and maximise the opportunity that this presents for public health. Thank you to all our speakers.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Writing in The Grocer, ASH Deputy CE @carolinecerny.bsky.social explains the upcoming regulations on tobacco and nicotine products as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Act. Caroline highlights the vital role that retailers will play in ensuring this next chapter of the smokefree journey is a success🚭
thegrocer.co.uk
Retailers are central to the next chapter of the smoke-free journey
New regulations are imminent - but much of what retailers will be asked to do will already feel very familiar, says Caroline Cerny of Action on Smoking & Health
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
There's been media attention today about a review by RCPCH highlighting evidence on vaping & the risks it poses to young people. On BBC Breakfast, ASH Deputy CE Caroline Cerny said young people shouldn't use vapes. However, it's important that vapes are accessible for adult smokers who want to quit.
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Melissa Sweet @melissasweetdr.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
theconversation.com/one-nation-w...
theconversation.com
One Nation wants to cut the tobacco tax. Would that curb the illicit cigarette market?
A 75% cut in tobacco tax won’t make cigarettes as cheap as you might think. Here’s what really helps smokers in a cost of living crisis.
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Today, the CTSI, ASH, ASH Northern Ireland & ASH Wales have written to retailers following the publication of Govt guidance on upcoming regulations as part of the Tobacco & Vapes Act. The letter sets out the key changes alongside practical guidance to support implementation. Read more here:
conveniencestore.co.uk
Health organisations urge retailers to prepare for next phase of Tobacco & Vapes Act
A joint statement has been issued by CTSI, ASH, ASH Northern Ireland and ASH Wales for retailers
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
ASH, @thebhf.bsky.social and @cancerresearchuk.org welcome the appointment of Andrew Black, former British civil servant, to the role of Head of Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
@marykfoymp.bsky.social is right, we need to make sure that dodgy shops no longer operate on high streets as their existence fuels harm misperceptions. However, there is a balance to be struck and we need to make sure that vape shops that ARE supporting smokers to quit can continue to do so.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Just always worth reading what @peterkellner.bsky.social has to say
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Watch ASH CE @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social speak on GB News today about the importance of the indoor smoking ban. 📺 Hazel highlighted the popularity of the law and its hugely positive impact on public health - the law prevented 1,200 emergency admissions from heart attacks in its first year alone.🚭
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 18/07/2026
One more and we keep the Bayeux Tapestry!
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
ASH CE @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social explained on LBC this morning that a rise in people buying illicit tobacco doesn’t mean an increase to the size of the illicit market.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
What is striking to me is that Rolling Stone has had a long commercial relationship with PMI. www.rollingstone.com/author/prese... Perhaps the editorial choice to have this cover picture is unrelated but it sure points to a culture of being comfortable with big tobacco
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
What is striking to me is that Rolling Stone has had a long commercial relationship with PMI. www.rollingstone.com/author/prese... Perhaps the editorial choice to have this cover picture is unrelated but it sure points to a culture of being comfortable with big tobacco
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 15/07/2026
Wishing the England men's football team all the best for their game this evening. We've got our match snacks at the ready.
A scone cut in half on a white plate placed on grass. The scone has a layer of white cream and the red strawberry jam has been placed on top in a cross to replicate the St George's England flag.
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Sarah Jackson @drsarahejackson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Act puts the end of smoking within reach, but the job is not done New comment in Lancet Regional Health Europe with @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social and @jamiebrown.bsky.social www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
The UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Act puts the end of smoking within reach, but the job is not done
The UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Act marks a defining moment in tobacco control. Its smokefree generation policy—prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009—repres...
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Economics for Health @econforhealth.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Cigarette tax policies in #SriLanka 🇱🇰 receive only 2.38 out of 5️⃣ pts in the #CigaretteTaxScorecard 📚 #Cigarette prices are relatively high, yet Sri Lanka has not reduced affordability over time & uses a complex tax structure. Learn more about its score 👇 www.economicsforhealth.org/research/cig...
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
The public are many times more likely to think vaping is as harmful as smoking than they are to think it is less harmful. But it is less harmful. Not harmless, it still needs regulation, we still don't want kids to vape. But if you smoke and you switch that is better than continuing to smoke.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Legislation driving improvements in public health. Love a graph.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
This morning ASH Chief Executive @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social gave evidence to the Treasury Select Committee session on tax and duty non-compliance on high streets. Hazel answered questions from committee members on tobacco taxation and the illicit tobacco and vape market.
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 12/06/2026
FACTCHECK: A few small details that may be relevant… * EDF is bidding into the next windfarm auction (AR8) * EDF does not want that auction to be stopped * EDF plans to expand its own UK wind/solar capacity from 2-10GW by 2035
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Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · 30/05/2026
Lung cancer deaths trace the rise and fall of smoking— Lung cancer kills more than two million people every year, making it the most fatal cancer globally. While a number of factors increase the risk, the 20th century brought one like no other: smoking.
Small multiple line charts of reported male deaths from trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers per 100,000 men for six countries from 1950 to 2023, where each country shows a rise to a mid-to-late 20th-century peak followed by a decline to 2023, with the United Kingdom and Netherlands peaking highest and Japan and France showing later, lower peaks. Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025). License: CC BY.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
📻 Listen to our CE @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social speak on Radio 5 Live this morning about extending smokefree restrictions to pub gardens, as new ASH data shows 62% of the public support this. You can listen to the full interview here (beginning at 1:55): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Gave the approach mentioned in the article a go this morning in a Bristol shopping centre. Had conversations with people with very different perspectives & backgrounds. Not seeking to persuade just listen & understand. Moving how ppl share their life stories to some random guy from a local charity!
Picture of a flip chart paper covered in voting dots against different questions.
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Reposted by Hazel Cheeseman
Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
20 years on, the Govt has consulted on extending smokefree places to some additional outdoor settings However as our CE @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social says there's public support for stronger action & extending these protections to more outdoor spaces would be the next step towards a smokefree society
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
lovely graphic
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
helpful thread on implications for local government of last week's elections
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Yes. And the reverse is also true.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Aww cheers @shaunewalsh.bsky.social
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Mary Kelly Foy MP @marykfoymp.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
labourlist.org/2026/04/refo...
labourlist.org
'Labour will be the Government that finally ended smoking. Reform would protect the tobacco industry not kids' - LabourList
The smokefree generation is historic and something that this Labour Government will be remembered and celebrated for.
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Mary Kelly Foy MP @marykfoymp.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
👑 Royal Assent When you work for years on a topic, see it initially stall in the House, then see it criticised by a small but vociferous bunch of individuals - I think people asked why I didn’t just give up. What’s the big deal about phasing out smoking in the UK? But I don’t give up easily! More👇🏼
Mary’s graphic produced by ASH which states:

I am so pleased that the Tobacco and Vapes Act is now law, setting us on a path to a smokefree future.

Smoking is responsible for half the healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest in this country and tackling smoking is one of the most effective ways to reduce health inequalities.

Tackling smoking is a mission that all political parties share, it is not a partisan issue. I've seen the positive impact that action can have in my constituency of Country Durham where smoker rates have almost halved in the last ten years. We are so close to the finish line now but this Act does not mean it is job done'.

Mary Kelly Foy MP
Labour MP and Co-Chair of the APPG on Smoking and HealthI have a huge passion for improving public health, particularly in areas where we see vast health inequalities - areas like the North East where I'm proudly from. We see already stretched NHS services struggle to cope under the additional pressure of avoidable smoking-related illness, and our children and young people falling into the clutches of an industry that does nothing but exploit their vulnerability in exchange for huge profits.
Major thanks go to colleagues at ASH and Fresh for their unwavering commitment to getting this work done, and to my colleagues of the Smoking and Health APPG, which I co-chair. We are mindful there are still 5.3 million smokers across the UK who may wish to get support to quit, or they may wish to continue and that's absolutely their choice - no one of legal age is being forced to give up their cigs, but if you'd like help to be smokefree there are brilliant organisations that can help.
Today I'm celebrating this achievement and the UK being one more step toward a smokefree future. It is important that this work is not undone and I'll be fighting to protect it at every turn. After all, isn't it great to feel healthy?
Have a read
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Thank you to the APPG on Smoking & Health for their role in ensuring the Tobacco & Vapes Act became law🚭 Many APPG members have worked for decades to end smoking. Tobacco control is not a partisan issue & the APPG proves that. Parliamentarians across the Houses, working together with a shared aim.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social celebrates the Tobacco and Vapes Act becoming law. As he says, this legislation is a turning point for public health, protecting our children from the cycle of tobacco addiction.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The Tobacco and Vapes Act was first introduced under former PM Rishi Sunak’s Government. As the Tobacco and Vapes Act achieves royal assent, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP celebrates the new law and points to the cross-party support for the legislation.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
This is the gift of the generational sales ban. A longer future with our loved ones. We will look back on today as the law passes as a watershed moment. The UK has moved from being a country that was gradually reducing smoking to one that will, sooner or later, end smoking.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
A huge moment🎉 The PH community came together with the Minister @sharonhodgsonmp.bsky.social to mark the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill yesterday – and today it became an Act. Proud to stand alongside so many dedicated colleagues who made this happen. Truly a gift to future generations
PH Minister Sharon Hodgson with ASH CE Hazel Cheeseman and members of the Smokefree Action Coalition marking the creation of a smokefree generation
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Muy bien
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My thoughts on former PM Boris Johnson appearing on BAT's podcast. Bottom line if Mr Johnson thinks this doesn't matter he is wrong. BAT is part of a global industry killing millions and actively involved in lobbying against regulations around the world: www.linkedin.com/posts/hazel-...
linkedin.com
It’s deeply disappointing to see former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appear on a podcast linked to British American Tobacco. I won’t link to it here as it doesn’t need any (more) traffic. Most… |...
It’s deeply disappointing to see former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appear on a podcast linked to British American Tobacco. I won’t link to it here as it doesn’t need any (more) traffic. Most pe...
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Indoor smokefree legislation led to an additional 300,000 quit attempts in 2007. 🚭 Now, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill presents an opportunity to create similar momentum, and encourage people who currently smoke to join the smokefree generation. 🚬❌ Read more here: ash.org.uk/media-centre...
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Recently, there have been reports claiming the Tobacco & Vapes Bill may be incompatible with the Windsor Framework & EU law. In our latest blog, ASH CE @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social sets the record straight and explains why the Bill IS compatible with EU regulations and WILL apply in Northern Ireland
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Thank you to Professor Amandine Garde & Juan Collado Perez-Llantada for setting the record straight in The Times, in response to an article by Robert Buckland. As they say, legal challenges are a typical tobacco industry tactic to attempt to delay tobacco control measures. shorturl.at/4QBwz
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
It's always great to see MPs using their professional experience as clinicians to support vital tobacco control legislation. @peterprinsleymp.bsky.social is absolutely right - the smokefree generation will save lives. 🚭
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Thank you to @dannychambers.bsky.social for highlighting the health inequalities caused by smoking and the significant impact the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will have in reducing these inequalities while speaking for the Liberal Democrats in last night’s debate. 🚭
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
A huge thank you to @jimdickson.bsky.social for his strong support for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and for drawing attention to the issue of cigarette filters, which provide no health protection to people who smoke. 🚭
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
What a fantastic debate this evening in Parliament as MPs considered amendments from the House of Lords to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill 👏 MPs agreed that no vote was needed, recognising all amendments as valuable additions to the Bill.
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Hazel Cheeseman @hazelcheeseman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Just lovely. Some of the content put out on No Smoking Day across the country. @pitncpodcast.bsky.social I think you had your scepticism about the role quit moments like this but they they can be a powerful prompt to quit with the right message. Well done to all involved in films featured
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