Call for bold targets on stopping smoking

THOUSANDS OF cases of cancer, heart disease and stroke could be avoided if just five per cent of the population smoked by 2035, research suggests.

A new study, commissioned by Cancer Research UK, also found there would be huge savings to the NHS if smoking rates fall at a more rapid rate than at present.

In 2015, 17.2 per cent of people smoked, down from 20.1 per cent in 2010. If today’s trends continue, around 10 per cent of people are predicted to smoke in 2035, with the total at 15 per cent among the most deprived groups and 2.5 per cent among the wealthiest.

But Cancer Research UK argues that the UK should set an “ambitious” target to be “smokefree” – with less than five per cent of the population smoking – by 2035.

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer prevention, said: “Bold and ambitious targets are needed to save the thousands of lives and millions of pounds of NHS money lost to tobacco. We want the next Government to share our ambition for the next generation of children to grow up ‘tobacco-free’. This target should be at the heart of a new strategy to tackle smoking.

“Measures like sustained funding for Stop Smoking Services, mass media campaigns and increased tax on tobacco all have the potential to help smokers to stop, and create much-needed revenue to support programmes that will reduce the burden on our health service.”