Smoking: a call to action

The government has set an ambitious goal to make England smoke-free by 2030, defined as reducing the smoking rate to below 5% (Hopkinson, 2020). Scotland set a similar target for 2034 (House of Lords Library, 2020).

Despite having some of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, smoking remains a significant contributor to premature death in the UK. Presently, approximately 15% of adults in the UK smoke cigarettes. To achieve the 5% target by 2030, the rate of change must surpass current predictions by a margin of ‘40% faster’ (House of Lords Library, 2020).

The UK has introduced taxation to decrease the affordability of tobacco products, the adoption of plain, standardised packaging and display bans and the implementation of smoke-free legislation. In 2006, Scotland banned smoking in enclosed public spaces and workplaces, with England, Wales and Northern Ireland implementing similar bans in 2007. Also in 2007, Scotland, England and Wales raised the minimum age for purchasing tobacco from 16 to 18 years.