14 August 2023 , 07:39
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Ministers are weighing up forcing tobacco companies to put cards inside packets of cigarettes urging people to give up.
The move, which has already been introduced in Canada and Israel, would see inserts with messages highlighting the health benefits of quitting. The Government says it's been proven to work, and could save the NHS billions of pounds a year.
Messages on the inserts will include highlighting the reduced chances of heart attacks and the amount of money that can be saved - an average of £2,000 a year. The measure is being looked at as the Tories desperately try come up with solutions for growing NHS waiting lists.
A consultation is being launched today on the move and possible designs for the inserts. Ministers say they are hopeful of reducing smoking rates to under 5% by 2030.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “Smoking is very addictive, and it takes smokers on average thirty attempts before they succeed in stopping, so encouraging them to keep on trying is vital.
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“Pack inserts do this by backing up the grim messages about death and disease on the outside with the best advice about how to quit on the inside. They will help deliver not just the Smokefree 2030 ambition, but also the Major Conditions Strategy, as smoking is responsible for all six major conditions from cancer to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal disorders.”
The Department for Health and Social Care said smoking accounts for 4% of all hospital admissions each year - equivalent to 450,000 cases. And the impact of the tobacco industry is estimated to cost taxpayers £21billion a year, including £2billion in NHS costs.
Pack inserts are already used in Canada and Israel, while Australia has said it intends to introduce them. An evaluation in Canada found nearly a third of smokers had read the inserts at least once in the past month - and that those who were exposed to the inserts multiple times were "significantly more likely" to try to kick the habit.
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