A new independent report commissioned by the Ministry of Health of the United Kingdom, which aims to implement the program “Britain without smoking 2030”, presents the outline of the way to reduce the proportion of smokers in the country from 13.5% to 5% by the end of this decade.
The report by Javed Khan (Javed Khan OBE, MD) estimates that if Britain does not take a number of actions in order to advance the goal, it will miss the goal by about 7 years and the weak populations in society will not meet the goal even by 2044.
“In order for us to have a chance of reaching the 2030 smoke-free goal,” claims Khan, “we need to accelerate the rate of decline of people who smoke, by 40%.” This is the final message: “Smoking kills and destroys lives. But it doesn’t have to be that way.”
The report, which is relevant not only to the UK, but also to the US, offers a series of evidence-based recommendations – four of which are “critical” – to speed up progress, and they also serve as guidance points and models for what the US can do more effectively To put an end to the smoking epidemic In both countries, despite historical progress, smoking remains the leading cause of death, especially among the vulnerable populations.
The four critical actions for the “here and now” are:
1 . Increase the investment – a comprehensive financial investment is required for smoking cessation treatment. The report suggests imposing additional levies on cigarette companies to cover the costs.
2. Raise the sales age from 18 in one year, every year until no one can legally buy cigarettes.
3. Promote vaping (smoking substitutes/electronic cigarettes) as a harm reduction approach. The government should also increase the promotion of the use of vaping (smoking substitutes/e-cigarettes) to help people stop smoking tobacco: “We know that vaping (smoking substitutes/e-cigarettes) is not a ‘silver bullet’ and is not completely risk-free, but the alternative to tobacco use Burning or smoking is much worse.”
4. Prevention must become a central focus of NHS tobacco control efforts – it must offer smokers advice and support to quit “at every interaction they have with health services”, including with GPs, hospitals, mental health care providers, midwives , pharmacists, dentists and optometrists.
In addition, Khan calls on the government to speed up its plan for doctors to register electronic cigarettes as a medicinal product to help reduce smoking especially in disadvantaged communities (along with continuing to sell them as non-medicinal consumer products). This move can be useful in mediating and informing about the harm reduction approaches that are acceptable only to those who need medical insurance, and create accessibility for those who cannot afford to buy electronic cigarettes at retail prices.
Along with the recommendations detailed in the report, the FDA continues to promote policies to dramatically reduce the consumption of conventional cigarettes, such as Nicotine reduction Cheats are not addictive and elimination of menthol as a flavor feature.
In recent months, 23 brands of e-cigarettes have been approved for sale based on the FDA’s assessment that they are “adequate to protect public health” and conform to the standard set by the administrator’s recent rules across various tobacco and nicotine products. These products fit the advanced approaches currently being taken in the UK and New Zealand, and the director hopes that the US will also adopt the policy and be able to simultaneously support older smokers while protecting teenagers.
And what about Israel?
As of this moment, the reference in Israel to smoking substitutes such as electronic cigarettes and tobacco heating products is that they are “just like regular cigarettes” and are subject to all the laws and regulations that apply to cigarettes, including high taxation just like regular cigarettes. The annual smoking report published by the Ministry of Health shows that the proportion of smokers in Israel has remained unchanged in recent years, and stands at about 20% of the population, while recent estimates by other bodies such as the Smoking Eradication Initiative and the Klalit Health Insurance Fund are that the number of smokers is much higher and varies around 27%*.
* 26.4% according to data from The project to eradicate smoking; 20.1% according to The annual smoking report of the Ministry of Health. According to a general health services study: 27% (March 2022)