Press Releases - Action on Smoking and Health

Rapid innovation by local councils helped smokers quit during pandemic

07 January 2021 Rapid innovation by local councils helped smokers quit during pandemic In normal times smokers seeking help to quit would be able to meet face-to-face with a trained professional to get counselling and stop smoking medications like nicotine replacement therapy. However, from one day to the next, on March 23rd 2020 this became […]

380,000 ‘non-smokers’ regularly smoke cannabis, putting their health at risk

19 December 2020 A new study published in the journal Addiction finds significant levels of cannabis use among people who classify themselves as non-smokers [1]. The UCL-led analysis of a survey of adults in Great Britain found that 5% of self-identified non-smokers are past year cannabis users with an estimated 380,000 smoking cannabis with or […]

1 in 4 smokers has a mental health condition but doctors and nurses not getting the training they need to help

16 December 2020 A new report published today by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) [1] has found the current training of mental health nurses and psychiatrists to help their patients quit smoking is woefully inadequate and risks leaving people behind as the Government commits to delivering a smokefree nation by 2030 [2]. The report […]

ASH response to the Policy Exchange report: Saving a lost decade

10 November 2020 ASH response to the Policy Exchange report: Saving a lost decade Think tank Policy Exchange today published a report showing that the Government will miss by decades its ‘flagship general election manifesto target’ to extend the number of healthy life years by five by 2035.[1] The report makes recommendations for how this […]

E-cigarette use decreases as evidence shows they increase smokers’ chances of quitting

14 October 2020 E-cigarette use decreases as evidence shows they increase smokers’ chances of quitting An international review published today [14th October] finds e-cigarettes are 70% more effective in helping smokers quit than nicotine replacement therapy [1]. The findings come as public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) publish figures showing e-cigarette uptake […]

Regional press releases: New research finds smokers more likely than non-smokers to be without work

24 September 2020 See below for the latest estimates of the impact of joblessness and lower earnings for smokers. The national press release can be viewed here, and regional releases are below: North West North East Yorkshire and Humber West Midlands East Midlands East of England London South East South West

New research finds smokers more likely than non-smokers to be without work, and to earn less when in work, forfeiting £14bn a year in lost income

24 September 2020 New research finds smokers more likely than non-smokers to be without work, and to earn less when in work, forfeiting £14bn a year in lost income A new analysis by Landman Economics for health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finds that the collective impact of joblessness and lower earnings for […]

Supporting smokers to quit can help tackle surge in poor mental health

1 August 2020 Supporting smokers to quit can help tackle surge in poor mental health New findings from the YouGov COVID-19 Tracker [1] indicate that smokers with existing mental health problems are more likely to have quit successfully since the pandemic hit than other smokers (10% of ex-smokers with a mental health problem compared to […]

All Party Group urges Government to keep its foot on the pedal and publish plan to deliver a smokefree future

22 July 2020 All Party Group urges Government to keep its foot on the pedal and publish plan to deliver a smokefree future A year after the Government’s announcement of its smokefree 2030 ambition, a new analysis of child smoking rates shows how the number of children under 16 taking up smoking fell dramatically as […]

ASH response to the LGA statement on banning smoking outside pubs and cafes PLUS polling data

18 July 2020 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) backs calls from local government and parliamentarians to prohibit smoking immediately outside pubs and cafes during the pandemic. ASH, working with YouGov COVID-Tracker [1], has found strong public support for measures to restrict smoking outside in light of the COVID-19 crisis. When asked if they supported […]

Regional press releases: A million people have stopped smoking since the COVID pandemic hit Britain

15 July 2020 See below for the latest estimates of how many people have stopped smoking since the COVID pandemic hit Britain. The national press release can be viewed here, and regional releases are below. North West: In North West over 102,000 smokers have quit since the COVID pandemic hit ] Yorkshire and Humber: In Yorkshire […]

A million people have stopped smoking since the COVID pandemic hit Britain

15 July 2020 A million people have stopped smoking since the COVID pandemic hit Britain On the eve of a new campaign to engage more smokers to quit, new analysis by ASH and UCL finds that over a million people in the UK have stopped smoking since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. A further […]

COVID-19 drives ‘astonishing’ quit rate among young smokers: Experts ask if trend will survive loosening lockdown

23 June 2020 COVID-19 drives ‘astonishing’ quit rate among young smokers: Experts ask if trend will survive loosening lockdown Smokers under 30 are more than twice as likely to have stopped smoking because of COVID-19 than those over 50, new research published today shows.[1] This bucks usual trends, which see smokers of all ages quit […]

This World No Tobacco Day, 280 children will start smoking in England – enough to fill over 17 school minibuses

29 May 2020 This World No Tobacco Day, 280 children will start smoking in England – enough to fill over 17 school minibuses Calculations by Cancer Research UK show that 280 children a day start smoking in England,[1] two thirds of whom will go on to become daily smokers.[2] Tobacco kills nearly 100,000 people a […]

Stop smoking services open to smokers thanks to rapid response of local councils

29 May 2020 Stop smoking services open to smokers thanks to rapid response of local councils A new survey [1] by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has found that within a month of lockdown, most councils had services in place to help smokers quit, and around a quarter reported an increase […]