VOTE: Would forcing tobacco companies to sell their products in plain packaging make a difference to whether young people take up smoking?

Jan, from Angmering, whose husband Eric died from a smoking-related cancer before his 60th birthday, is urging people to sign a petition in support of Cancer Research UK’s The Answer is Plain campaign, which calls for all branding to be removed from tobacco packaging.

Her call to introduce plain packs for cigarettes comes as new data released by the charity showed 84 per cent of people in the south-east believe children should not be exposed to any tobacco marketing.

The Government has launched a UK-wide consultation on whether to put all tobacco in packs of uniform size, shape and design, with large health warnings front and back.

Jan, 67, mum to two grown-up children Lee and Erica and grandmother to Tishian, 18, and Devan, 16, says she wants to do everything she can to protect children from the allure of glitzy tobacco packaging.

She started smoking at 16 and gave up when the messages that smoking kills first emerged.

However, husband Eric smoked up to 40 a day from the age of 14, until dying of oesophageal cancer in 1991, aged just 59.

“He died far too young and his death was totally down to smoking,” said Jan.

“He didn’t live to see his beautiful grandchildren or the great successes his children have achieved.”

Anyone who would like to sign The Answer is Plain petition can visit www.theanswerisplain.org.

Have your say

Do you think forcing tobacco companies to sell their products in plain packaging would make a difference to whether young people take up smoking?

Have your say by clicking on the poll at the top right of this story, commenting below or emailing [email protected].

You can read Jan’s full story in this week’s Littlehampton Gazette, out today (Thursday, May 17).