Smoking in United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, smoking is allowed but tobacco products are subject to certain regulations. Under these regulations, there is a complete ban on all forms of tobacco advertising. Cigarettes can be purchased online, but not through vending machines. The importation of cigarettes for trade is allowed with an import license. Additionally, health warnings on cigarette packaging are required, and the minimum legal age for purchase is 18 years. Legal restrictions on smoking in public places are also enforced. Cigarettes in the UK are subject to an excise tax of 50.56% and a total taxation rate of 83.72%. Statistics show a gradual decline in the current smoking prevalence in the UK since 2000. There were approximately 6.7 million current adult smokers in the country in 2024, representing an adult current smoking prevalence of 11.8%. This was 13.1% in 2022, and 27.1% in 2000. Smoking prevalence was higher among males with 13.6% than among females with 10.1% in 2024. Daily smoking prevalence among adults was 9.1% overall, 8.1% among females, and 10.2% among males in 2024. In 2021, smoking led to 75,848 deaths in the UK, of which 44,400 deaths were among males and 31,448 deaths were among females. This shows that smoking consisted 11.05% of all deaths in the country, including 12.6% of all male deaths and 9.42% of all female deaths.
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November 15, 2018 by telegraph.co.uk
Sainsbury's continues to sell flavoured e-cigarettes pulled from US over underage vaping fears
Vaping products that have been pulled from sale in the US over fears about underage buyers remain on shelves at Sainsbury's in the UK.
The US e-cigarette giant Juul, which struck a deal with the British supermarket earlier this month, has banned the sale of several of its flavoured cartridges after an outcry in the US. [...] However, two of the flavours it has removed from sale in the US remain on sale at Sainsbury's [...]
November 14, 2018 by thetimes.co.uk
Smokers who hang out with vapers are more likely to quit
Smokers who spend time with people who vape are about 20 per cent more likely to try to quit, according to research that allays fears that e-cigarettes will “renormalise” tobacco.
Spending time with friends, family and colleagues who vape encourages smokers to try to give up by taking up e-cigarettes themselves, the study said. Britain should also be relaxed about the proliferation of vaping in public places, those behind the research said.
November 13, 2018 by bbc.com
Study links tobacco availability to smoking in pregnancy
Pregnant women are more likely to smoke if they live in areas with lots of shops selling cigarettes, a study has suggested.
Edinburgh University researchers looked at maternity records in tandem with information on all Scottish tobacco outlets.
They said their study is the first to reveal the links between tobacco availability and smoking in pregnancy.
Previous research suggested tobacco was more available in deprived areas.
The research team said "restricting the supply of tobacco could help tackle health inequalities".
November 13, 2018 by bbc.com
Welsh city and town centre smoking ban proposed by Mark Drakeford
Smoking could be banned in town and city centres if Mark Drakeford succeeds in becoming the next first minister.
The Welsh Labour leadership candidate has included the plan in his manifesto for the contest.
Mr Drakeford also wants to ban smoking in outdoor areas of cafes and restaurants.
Currently smoking is banned in indoor public places. It is also banned in cars where children are present. The ban is set to be extended to the grounds of schools and hospitals next summer.
November 12, 2018 by thetimes.co.uk
Vape warnings ‘do not go far enough’
E-cigarettes should come with health warnings, according to a Scottish heart expert who is researching the devices. Jacob George, professor of cardiovascular medicine and therapeutics at Dundee university, also criticised public health bodies for what he calls “mixed messaging” over the use of the devices. George is compiling the results of a two-year study, funded by a British Heart Foundation grant, into the effects of swapping cigarettes for vapes on the vascular system and lungs [...]
October 29, 2018 by thetimes.co.uk
Ministers must do more to encourage switch to vaping
Smoking is one of the biggest killers in Britain today: each year it leads to just under 80,000 deaths and about half a million hospital admissions. The cost to the NHS is estimated to be at least £2 billion.
The good news is that each year tens of thousands of people are giving up smoking with the help of e-cigarettes — devices that mimic the act of smoking but without the toxic tobacco smoke. They are about 95 per cent less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
October 22, 2018 by theconversation.com
E-cigarettes are good or bad depending on the study – so what’s the truth?
The number of adults currently using e-cigarettes in the UK is close to 2.9m, many of whom will have turned to the devices to quit smoking. While certainly they may help people kick the habit, there is a big problem with e-cigarettes: we don’t actually know for certain whether they are safe or not.
E-cigarettes were originally designed as an alternative to, and an aid for quitting, tobacco cigarettes. [...]
October 16, 2018 by bloomberg.com
BAT to Miss Vaping Goal as Big Tobacco Faces More Uncertain Era
British American Tobacco Plc said revenue from smoking alternatives will miss expectations this year as it issued a more pessimistic outlook for the tobacco industry’s new products than rival Philip Morris International Inc.
The maker of Lucky Strikes lopped 10 percent off its target for revenue from electronic and noncombustible cigarettes this year. BAT now forecasts 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) after it recalled a device in the U.S. and Japanese demand for so-called heat-not-burn tobacco has gone flat.
October 15, 2018 by thetimes.co.uk
Vaping brands ‘target children’
Manufacturers are marketing e-cigarette liquids that experts say lure children into nicotine addiction. The £1bn vaping industry in Britain is today exposed for using cartoon characters and images of sweets, popcorn and ice cream to market nicotine products that can hook children into addiction.
A Sunday Times investigation reveals that vaping manufacturers exploit lax regulations, describe liquid nicotine mixtures for electronic cigarettes as “sweet treats” and sell them online for £1.
October 09, 2018 by reason.com
E-Cigarettes Are 'the Most Popular Stop Smoking Aid in England'
E-cigarettes are "the most popular stop smoking aid in England," according to a recent government report, which says they increase the likelihood of success by about 50 percent and reduce health risks by "at least 95%." The report from Public Health England (PHE) illustrates the continuing contrast between the way British officials talk about vaping and the way their American counterparts do. About 2.5 million people use e-cigarettes in England, PHE says, and 51 percent, or almost 1.3 million, have stopped smoking entirely. [...]