Almost all of us have an experience of smoking.

Maybe you had a 'cheeky one' behind the bike sheds at school or 'smoked socially' on a night out with friends.

Maybe you started young and have spent a lifetime trying to quit. Or maybe you've experienced the absolute worst: watching a loved one die from a smoking-related illness or cancer.

Whatever your experience, not only do we all now know that smoking is incredibly dangerous and bad for our health – it’s literally the only product for sale that tells you it's probably going to kill you.

And so it was this week that MPs debated the government's proposals to create a 'smoke-free generation' by regulating vapes and introducing a controversial phased ban on the sale of cigarettes making it illegal for anyone born in 2009 or later to buy tobacco.

As a general rule, liberals support bans only as a last resort or when a particular product or practice causes excessive harm.

In recent years, the smoking rate among young people has dropped to one per cent and so this new ban really is a last step and some even question if it’s needed at all.

And yet, smoking remains highly dangerous and highly addictive. It’s the UK’s biggest preventable killer, causes around one in four cancer deaths, and takes up 75,000 GP appointments each month.

It’s the emergence of vaping that really allows a smoking ban without risking a huge black market for cigarettes.

Nicotine vaping is one of the most effective tools to help existing smokers quit smoking and is far less harmful than cigarettes, but the uptake of vaping amongst young people is incredibly concerning.

Parents and teachers in St Albans have written to me rightly expressing their outrage at the insidious marketing of vapes: bright colours, sweet-like names, and toy-like packaging, are all designed to appeal to children.

The new legislation paves the way for their regulation alongside a ban on disposable vapes on environmental grounds.

Is the phased smoking ban the first or best thing the government could be doing to tackle cancer? No.

Should it be used as a ‘smoke screen’ for inaction on public health more broadly? No.

But do I think it could a useful step to stop young people from ever taking up this deathly dangerous habit? Yes, I do.