Government plans are insufficient to make England smoke free by 2030, warn experts

The latest government plans to cut smoking rates are “a step forward” but are only around a third of the investment needed to deliver the ambition to make England smoke free by 2030, leading doctors, academics, and charities have warned.1On 11 April, health minister Neil O’Brien announced a series of new measures in response to Javed Khan’s independent review into smoking.2 These included a “swap to stop” scheme with up to a million smokers offered a free vaping starter kit and a separate programme to offer pregnant women up to £400 to stop smoking.3In a letter to The BMJ Nicholas Hopkinson, chair of Action on Smoking and Health, along with 17 other signatories, said that the plans are not nearly enough and called on the government to invest £125m a year in tobacco control, as recommended in the Khan review.This year real terms spending on tobacco control will be 45%…
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