Britain Is Winning The War On Tobacco, Health Chief Insists

The UK is winning the war on tobacco, health officials have said, as figures show fewer adults are smoking, while more are turning to e-cigarettes.
 

According to the Office for National Statistics, the country saw a “significant reduction” in the proportion of people aged 18 and older who considered themselves smokers in 2017, compared with the previous year.
 

“Smoking rates have dropped by almost a quarter in five years, a triumphant step in eliminating the nation’s biggest killer,” added Duncan Selbie, the chief executive of Public Health England (PHE).
 

The ONS data showed that 15.1% of adults smoked cigarettes, which the body estimated would equate to about 7.4 million people. Its report added: “The latest figure represents a significant reduction in the proportion of current smokers since 2016, when 15.8% smoked.”
 

The release of the figures coincided with the publication of data that suggested about 5.5% of people use e-cigarettes. While that figure represented a significant rise from 2014, when just 3.7% of people were vaping, it is a slight dip from 2016 when it stood at 5.6%.
 

Factoring in people aged 16 and 17 to the overall smoking figures, the UK saw an increase in the overall proportion of smokers in 2017 – up to 16.8% from 16.1% the year before. That followed four years of consistent decreases, though it was still the second lowest proportion since the figures were first collected in 1974.
 

The release of the figures prompted PHE to put out a cautiously optimistic message. “The data shows we are winning the war on tobacco and that we are tantalisingly close to creating the first-ever smoke-free generation in England,” said Selbie.
 

“But that war will only be won if we make more progress in helping people from deprived areas and people suffering from poor mental health, where we know smoking rates remain stubbornly high.”
 

The ONS figures showed that about a quarter of people in routine and manual occupations smoked, compared with one in 10 people in managerial and professional occupations.
 

Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of the health charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said smoking “must become history for all of society not just for the wealthy”.
 

She added: “Cuts in public health funding and lack of treatment for smoking on the NHS mean poorer more heavily addicted smokers, including those who are pregnant, are not getting the help they need to quit.”
 

Simon Clark, the director of the smokers’ group Forest, said: “Far from being a public health success story, the recent decline in smoking rates represent a victory for the bully state. Instead of focusing on education, successive governments have chosen to denormalise a legitimate habit.”