The government is on course to miss its target of making England smoke free by 2030. Dr Charlotte Vrinten, Research Associate at the School of Public Health, highlights how this delay leads to thousands of adolescents taking up the habit in the meantime.
Tobacco smoking has been declining in the UK over the last decade, but there are still nearly 7 million people who smoke. Smoking is one of the main avoidable causes of illness and early death, and costs the NHS £2.4 billion per year. In 2019, the government pledged to make England smokefree by 2030. However, a recent independent review found that the government is on course to miss its 2030 target by seven years. (more…)