In a Westminster Hall debate, Soubry emphasised the role advertising plays in encouraging young people to smoke. She herself took up smoking as a teenager because of the attractive packaging and she compared addiction to nicotine to heroin dependence; though she had no direct experience of the latter. According to "The Daily Telegraph", her comments raised questions about why the Coalition dropped plans for plain packaging shortly after David Cameron employed Lynton Crosby, who has worked for tobacco companies, as an election strategist.