Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the UK – accounting for nearly 100,000 deaths each year. In England alone, smoking caused nearly 75,000 deaths in 2020. In economic terms, smoking costs the economy an estimated £19 billion a year – with smoking-related health issues alone costing the NHS around £6 billion per year. Given the significant burden caused by smoking, it’s no wonder the government wants to make England smoke-free by 2030. Wales and Scotland have also introduced similar policies.
A recently published independent review has now outlined 15 important interventions needed to help achieve this goal. Some of these recommendations include promoting vaping as an alternative to cigarettes and increasing duties on tobacco products. The report also recommends raising the age a person can buy cigarettes from 18 to 21 – then increasing the age of sale by one every year thereafter.
