The government is planning on eliminating smoking from Britain under leaked plans published in the Daily Mail.
Tobacco companies will be required to cover the cost of helping smokers to quit by 2030.
Actions to help people quit include leaflets placed inside cigarette packets and targeting black market cigarettes.
‘The gains in tobacco control have been hard-won, and there’s still much to do,’ the plans say.
‘For the 15% of adults who are not yet smoke-free, smoking is the leading cause of ill-health and early death, and a major cause of inequalities.
‘That’s why the government wants to finish the job.’
‘Extremely challenging’
The document describes the ambitious plans as ‘extremely challenging’, as smoking rates remain high in certain groups.
The Daily Mail estimates that 31% of social housing tenants are smokers.
Britain has one of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, second behind Sweden.
‘People have the right to light up without being harassed to quit,’ Simon Clark, director of smokers’ group Forest, said.
‘It’s not up to government to dictate people’s lifestyle.’
Reality TV encouraging smoking
Reality TV could be encouraging children and younger people to smoke and drink, public health experts warned recently.
Nottingham University analysis shows alcohol and tobacco were more often referenced in popular reality series.
Researchers claim this is ‘likely to be a contributor’ to smoking and alcohol consumption amongst children and young people.
‘Seeing alcohol or tobacco imagery in the media promotes use among young people,’ Alexander Barker, lead researcher, said.
‘Our study therefore identifies reality television shows as a major potential driver of alcohol and tobacco consumption in young people.
‘Tighter scheduling rules, such as restricting the amount of content and branding shown in these programmes, could prevent children and adolescents from being exposed to the tobacco and alcohol content.’
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