Messages urging smokers to quit may be added inside cigarette packs

Messages urging smokers to quit are set to be added inside cigarette packs under draft proposals being considered by the government. 

The warnings would outline the health and financial benefits of giving up smoking and offer support to those trying to stop, the Department of Health said.

A public consultation on the matter will run until October.

Warnings inside packs are already in place in other countries including Canada and Israel, with Australia also set to introduce the measure.

An evaluation of the policy’s impact in Canada found that those who were exposed multiple times to the messages inside the packs were significantly more likely to try to give up smoking.

The department hopes the messages could result in 30,000 smokers giving up the habit. It would also save the government up to £1.6bn in health costs.

Around 76,000 people in the UK die from smoking every year.

It remains one of the leading preventable causes of illness and mortality, according to the NHS.

The government has pledged to reduce smoking rates to less than 5% by 2030.

But experts have predicted the target will be missed without more robust action.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), has said the measure would also help tackle other major illnesses.

“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,” she said.

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Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “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 smoke-free by 2030, we will reduce the pressure on the NHS and help people to live healthier lives.”