Reducing Smoking & Tobacco Dependency: Speaker Update

Over the last 35 years, smoking rates in Britain have halved. Nevertheless, around 15% of UK adults still smoke cigarettes, and smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic, according to an article in the British Journal of General Practice, produced a “perfect (bad) storm for relapsing and smoking more”. Furthermore, Cancer Research UK has shown that the number of young adults who smoke in England rose by about a quarter in the first lockdown. The rate of smoking, and hospital admissions related to smoking also expose existing health inequalities in the UK, with both being higher in economically deprived areas, as well as amongst the unemployed and those with mental health conditions.

In July 2019, the government stated its ambition of going “smokefree” by 2030 in England, and the same objective has been set for 2034 in Scotland. The initial consultation document included an ultimatum to the industry to make smoked tobacco obsolete by 2030, with smokers quitting or moving to reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes. In 2017, the government published its five-year Tobacco Control Plan for England, which set out a range of ambitions centred around achieving four “national ambitions”: 1) the first smoke free generation; 2) a smoke free pregnancy for all; 3) parity of esteem for those with mental health conditions; 4) backing evidence based innovations to support quitting. The government has also kept pace with the EU standards, maintaining legislation relating to the size, shape, and design of packets, including health warnings. The use of high taxation to discourage smoking by reducing affordability remains a key pillar of government strategy, as it has since the 1980s. The government continues the policy set out in 2011 to increase the rate of excise duty on cigarettes by 2 per cent above inflation each year. The government was expected to publish a new, post-2022 Tobacco Control Plan in 2022.

According to research from Cancer Research, despite the government’s stated aims, if the UK is to reach the target of 5% smoking prevalence by 2030, the pace of change needs to be 40% faster than is currently predicted. Cancer Research, as well as a group of other charities, including Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and the British Heart Foundation, have subsequently published their ‘Roadmap to a Smoke-Free 2030’, which sets out a number of measures they argue the government needs to adopt to reach their target. These include a ‘polluter pays principle’, whereby tobacco manufacturers are forced to finance a smoke-free 2030 fund, and ensuring universal access to support for smokers to quit, in both healthcare and community settings.

This approach is challenged by a number of economic focussed think-tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Adam Smith Institute. They have argued that smoking “results in a net saving for the Government of £19.8 billion”, and that the focus should subsequently be on tobacco harm reduction products, such as e-cigarettes. On the other hand, campaigners are calling for a ban on single use and disposable vapes for becoming an 'environment nightmare'. Other approaches include the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health’s recommendation that the legal age of sale be raised from 18 to 21, while Baroness Northover tabled an amendment to the Business and Planning Bill in 2020, requiring pavement licences to be preconditioned on the banning of smoking in such locations.

In light of the negative impact of Covid-19 on the objective of eliminating smoking from the UK, this symposium will offer local authorities, public health professionals, law enforcement bodies, educationalists, industry representatives and third sector practitioners a timely and invaluable opportunity to formulate comprehensive and sustained strategies to achieve reductions in smoking prevalence, and tackle the wider determinants of smoking amongst those experiencing socio-economic disadvantages.

Programme

• Examine the existing legislative and policy framework for national smoking cessation and prevention and make recommendations for a new post-2022 Tobacco Control Plan
• Discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the government’s ambition to make the UK smokefree
• Analyse how to develop a multifaceted smokefree strategy for local areas, involving the council, schools, NHS, employers, emergency services and local retailers
• Consider how to design and deploy a multi-channel approach to reduce smoking rates within the poorest communities
• Determine how to combat and minimise the supply of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes through Community Safety Partnerships
• Assess how schools and colleges can effectively communicate the dangers of smoking to pupils to minimise uptake
• Discuss what more the government and NHS can do to support people with nicotine addiction and tobacco dependency to quit smoking, including looking at innovative treatments
• Learn how to make more imaginative use of social and digital communications to target and educate specific communities and audiences about the dangers of smoking
• Explore how to engage with local employers to develop and disseminate smoke cessation programs in workplaces
• Identify methods for working with local retailers to uphold legislation prohibiting the under-age sale of tobacco
• Address environmental challenegs posed by single use vapes

To register for the briefing, please a href="https://u22514645.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=VkcagFgZNk7ms8I-2FmC0SzppvO2GeSIROzoQY0Ho-2B3MYQSR-2BBMWjNueBvgrGsEkmoEKG7evKOr6qSv11RvOUFncHdqAv-2FQRqhU4PIxgQ4gXXu3KHpqxiscqhCqsdJ7-2FkgRH3y_R1Kt5WriRVZKjIb5oitPmMUpEF-2BZoo1v0LpBzX2EvIXtomNE48KXsEVF4DdV803ETg-2BZ62T-2FqxeJjBNhOnBnwDAI4Q0EMMS-2FNyWFtHhGuutsKREsD3Eu1Qk36hjP2DCuLL2raRMhAwrnIWUbNXEp1ntB7APw9wGI6-2BSzsRw7tlqdlq6cN72AZj-2Budxehictx1L4Da2flLNUZqKmj-2BZrGUWgMfANUp8d5W6U4FWmpc5E-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="a href="/>https://www.google.com/url?

Kind regards,

Conference Team
Public Policy Exchange
Tel: 020 3137 8630
Fax: 020 3137 1459

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