Government looks set to miss smoke-free target

Government looks set to miss smoke-free target

The warning comes from Cancer Research UK

The Government looks set to fail on its ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, a leading cancer charity has warned.

Cancer Research UK said current smoking trends suggest it will be 2037 before England is smoke-free, and that smoking rates need to drop 40% faster than projected for the target to be hit.

The Government pledged last July to end smoking in England by 2030 as part of a range of measures to tackle the causes of preventable ill health.

Smoke-free means just 5% of adults in England will smoke - a dramatic reduction from the 14% who smoke at present.

Cancer Research UK said the ambition is being hindered by cuts to stop-smoking services and national campaigns, and the gap between the least and most deprived people in England.

It says the richest group in England can expect to be smoke-free in 2025, but the poorest will not be smoke-free until the mid-2040s.

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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