Dr Neil Hudson MP welcomed the launch of a Government consultation into adding pack inserts for tobacco products in an effort to encourage more smokers to quit.
Placed inside the packaging of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco, they can provide information such as on the health and financial benefits of quitting on a smoker’s health and finances, along with advice how to quit.
The messages set out the health benefits of quitting – for example, improvements to breathing within a matter of days and a 50% reduction in the risk of heart attack within a year – as well as showing smokers how much money they stand to save by giving up, with the average person likely to save over £2,000 per year if they quit.
As part of the Government's wider Smokefree 2030 campaign, Ministers are addressing the rapid rise in underage vaping. Dr Hudson is one of the leading MPs to sound the alarm on the issue and has already welcomed action on closing legislative loopholes to stop children getting hooked and the creation of a new illegal vapes enforcement squad.
The veterinary MP has continuously said that while vapes have a vital role in helping adults quite tobacco smoking, we must make sure they are not inadvertently creating nicotine addictions in our young people. From health and behavioural issues already developing to the environmental impact of disposable vapes, Dr Hudson has been a consistent voice for stronger regulations.
As such he is pushing for regulation to stop advertisers targeting children with vaping products. To date Dr Hudson has led a parliamentary debate, tabled parliamentary questions, met with advertising and vaping experts, and written extensively for local and national publications to raise awareness about the dangers of youth vaping.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"By better informing people about the damaging impact of tobacco, I am convinced we will see the number of smokers fall further - thus saving lives and taking strain off the NHS and the brilliant local healthcare professionals that work hard to keep us in good shape.
"These measures must be implemented as part of a holistic strategy to bring down nicotine use in the general population. This includes action on an issue close to my heart - youth vaping. Our children are becoming hooked on vaping, it's a ticking time bomb. Already I've heard of children waking in the night to vape so they can stave off the morning withdrawal symptoms as well as teachers who are concerned about children unable to concentrate in lessons and exams.
"I would highly encourage constituents to have their say and engage with the consultation."
Smoking remains the single leading preventable cause of illness and mortality in the UK. It results in nearly 4% of all hospital admissions each year – equivalent to almost 450,000 admissions. Tobacco-related harms are also estimated to cost taxpayers an estimated £21 billion every year, including the impact on productivity and over £2 billion in direct costs to the NHS.
Although smoking rates in the UK are at an all-time low, by taking further action, the government will seek to cut waiting lists and reduce the burden on the NHS.
DHSC estimates that introducing pack inserts into all tobacco products in the UK could lead to an additional 30,000 smokers giving up their habit – delivering health benefits worth £1.6 billion.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay added:
“Smoking places a huge burden on the NHS, economy and individuals. It directly causes a whole host of health problems – including cancers and cardiovascular disease – and costs the economy billions every year in lost productivity.
“By taking action to reduce smoking rates and pursuing our ambition to be smokefree by 2030, we will reduce the pressure on the NHS and help people to live healthier lives.”
The consultation – which is already open – is seeking views on the introduction and design of pack inserts.
Pack inserts are already used in other countries – including Canada and Israel, with Australia also announcing its intention to introduce them – and there is evidence that they can be an effective means of encouraging smokers to quit. An evaluation of the policy’s impact in Canada found that almost 1 in 3 smokers had read the inserts at least once in the past month, and that those who read the inserts multiple times were significantly more likely to try to give up smoking.
The consultation builds on a recent package of measures designed to drive the government’s ambition to be smokefree by 2030 – which means reducing smoking rates to 5% or less. These measures include:
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Funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world – to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit, alongside expert support.
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Launching a financial incentive scheme – in the form of vouchers alongside behavioural support – to support pregnant women to stop smoking, with an aim to reach all pregnant smokers by the end of next year.
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A new strategy to combat sales of illicit tobacco and vapes to catch and punish those involved in the illegal market, including those selling either of these types of products to under 18s.
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. “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.”
A world leader in reducing smoking rates, UK levels are currently at their lowest on record at 13.3%. But across the UK, 1 in 7 adults still smoke – around 6.6 million people – and the impacts on the NHS and economy are significant. Tobacco also costs the economy in England an estimated £14 billion in lost productivity every year, due to lost earnings, unemployment and early deaths. The average smoker stands to save approximately £2,000 per year from giving up their habit.
