Deborah Arnott Chief Executive, Action on Smoking & Health (ASH), London
Abstract
The current five year government strategy to drive down smoking prevalence comes to an end this year. It has been a period of great success with smoking rates amongst adults and children falling year on year and most recently the passing of legislation to put tobacco in standardised ‘plain’ packs.
But no-one can say that the job of tobacco control is done when millions of smokers in England face the risks of smoking-related illness and premature death, hundreds of young people start smoking every day, and smoking remains the principal cause of health inequalities.
Smoking Still Kills is a report endorsed by well over 100 health organisations calling on the government to replace the current Tobacco Control Plan for England with a new, and even more ambitious, strategy funded by a levy on the tobacco industry. The report sets out tough new targets for the next five years, contributing to a long-term vision of a smokefree future for all, including the most disadvantaged, by 2035.
In this presentation I will set out the key elements of the report which will have been launched in Westminster on Tuesday 9th June.
Source of funding: Core funding for ASH is provided by the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, both of which have helped fund this report.
Declaration of interest: I have no conflict of interest.
