Press Releases - Action on Smoking and Health

ASH welcomes Government commitment to finish the job and end smoking by 2030

The publication today of the Government’s Prevention Green Paper [1] with a commitment to finish the job and have England smoke-free by 2030 was welcomed by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Ending smoking by delivering a smokefree generation by 2030 (defined as prevalence below 5% across society) is achievable, popular and will make the […]

Regional press releases: support for government action to reduce smoking

See below for regional press releases on the latest national smoking prevalence data and ASH’s Smokefree GB Survey of public onion on tobacco control. The national press release can be viewed here, and regional releases are below. Yorkshire and the Humber: Smoking rates in Yorkshire and Humber are the lowest ever recorded at 16.7%: but […]

ASH comment on annual smoking prevalence data 2019

Deborah Arnott chief executive of health charity ASH said: ASH welcomes the continuing decline in adult smoking rates, although the rate of decline has slowed. Worse still the lower headline rate hides a wide disparity across society, with around one in twenty adults smoking in Richmond upon Thames, while in deprived communities like Blackpool it […]

12 years on from England going smokefree, support for the Government to do more to tackle smoking is continuing to grow

12 years on from England going smokefree, support for the Government to do more to tackle smoking is continuing to grow A YouGov poll of over 10,000 adults in England, commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), found that more than three quarters support activities to limit smoking or think government should do more, […]

Over half a million social housing tenants in poverty due to the cost of smoking

Over half a million social housing tenants are living in poverty due to the cost of smoking 512,000 (or one in seven) social tenants are living in poverty because of the impact of smoking costs on their disposable income. In “The quitting dividend for tenants and landlords” published today, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) […]

In Britain young people vape just to give it a try, not because they think it’s “cool”

New research published today by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows vaping remains uncommon among young people, and young people vape mainly just to give it a try (52%) not because they think it looks cool (1%). The findings come from an annual YouGov survey, commissioned by ASH, which examines youth use of e-cigarettes […]

On World No Tobacco Day more people sick from smoking having been given free fags come forward

On World No Tobacco Day more people sick from smoking having been given free fags come forward On World No Tobacco Day more people have come forward who have been made seriously ill by their addiction to smoking, caused by the free cigarettes they were given by their employers. This follows publicity about the case […]

EU introduces revolutionary new tracking system for cigarette packs today

EU introduces revolutionary new tracking system for cigarette packs today From today all cigarette packs manufactured in, or imported into, the EU (including the UK) must be marked with unique codes enabling identification and tracing of any cigarettes which are being sold illegally. [1] There is a 12 month sell-through period during which supplies of […]

Big Tobacco Faces New Legal Threat from Employees Given Free Cigarettes Now Sick from Smoking

British American Tobacco (BAT) and the other tobacco companies face a new legal threat today from former employees who were given free cigarettes so encouraging them to smoke, a practice which ASH has discovered was commonplace. In the early 1980s the tobacco industry employed over 30,000 employees in manufacturing alone.[1] Some, including former salesman Simon […]

Cuts to local funding for smokers requires national Government action

Government cuts to public health budgets mean that only half of local authorities offer all smokers the best support to quit – a new report from Action on Smoking and Health and Cancer Research UK has found. Smoking rates for adults are still falling but they have plateaued for some groups, notably pregnant women, and […]

World Bank cites UK as example of how tobacco taxes can be used to increase government revenues and improve public health

A major new World Bank report launched today in Thailand [1] puts paid to the tobacco industry argument that when governments raise tobacco taxes it increases the illicit trade in tobacco, damaging government revenues and public health. To quote the report, “Countries as different in levels of economic and institutional development as the United Kingdom, […]

Comment on NHS England press release: NHS plan will help problem drinkers and smokers

4 January 2019 Please find below the press release from NHS England about the dedicated help for smokers to quit included in the NHS Long Term Plan and quotes about this commitment from Paul Burstow co-chair of the Mental Health & Smoking Partnership and Dr Clea Harmer, co-chair of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group. […]

Baby charity lead appointed as Co-Chair of smoking in pregnancy coalition

30 November 2018 Baby charity lead appointed as Co-Chair of smoking in pregnancy coalition The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group is pleased to welcome Dr Clea Harmer [1], Chief Executive of Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, to the role of Co-Chair. She is taking over from Francine Bates [2] who, along with Professor […]

Reaching smokers where they live: next steps in the journey towards the Government’s vision of a smokefree generation

Reaching smokers where they live: next steps in the journey towards the Government’s vision of a smokefree generation 20 November 2018 A new report [1], published today [Tuesday 20th November] by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and launched at a joint event in Parliament between the APPG on Healthy Homes and Buildings and the […]

ASH comment on Royal College of Physicians press release

14 November 2018 ASH comment on Royal College of Physicians press release Please find below an embargoed press release from the Royal College of Physicians with an additional quote from Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, one of the co-signatories of the letter to Simon Stevens being published tomorrow in the British Medical Journal: Additional […]