Plain packaging, graphic images of lung disease and warnings that smoking causes cancer already adorn cigarette boxes. But now smokers in the UK could also be given an upbeat note with every pack in an attempt to help them quit.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that it is opening a consultation on Monday to seek views on the introduction and design of pack inserts for tobacco products, such as cigarettes and rolling tobacco.
The DHSC said the inserts would feature details of where to find advice and support on stopping smoking, along with messages on the health and financial benefits of quitting, including a reduction in the risk of having a heart attack and saving, on average, over £2,000 a year.
Steve Barclay, health and social care secretary, 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.”
The DHSC said one in every five cancer deaths in England was connected to smoking, while smoking also directly contributed to cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, mental ill health, dementia, and chronic respiratory conditions. These six conditions are the focus of the government’s major conditions strategy, which will see its initial report published on Monday.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 about 13% of people aged 18 and over in the UK smoked – about 6.6 million people – with rates higher among men than women. But while the figures reflect the lowest proportion of current smokers since 2011, the government hopes to reduce rates to 5% or less by 2030 – a level considered “smoke-free”.
Currently, cigarette pack inserts promoting smoking cessation services are only used in a small number of countries, including Canada and Israel. The DHSC said evidence from Canada suggested they had a significant impact on attempts to quit among those exposed to the inserts multiple times. The department added that introducing pack inserts into all tobacco products in the UK could result in an extra 30,000 smokers quitting, giving rise to health benefits worth £1.6bn.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said it took smokers on average 30 attempts before they succeeded in stopping, so it was vital that they were encouraged to keep trying.
She said: “Pack inserts do this by backing up the grim messages about death and disease on the outside with the best advice about how to quit on the inside.”
Prof Linda Bauld, an expert in public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she welcomed the consultation, but cautioned that pack inserts were part of a bigger picture.
She explained: “I would describe this as a modest but important addition to current tobacco control measures. Particularly at the current time, when debates about a ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco companies – to cover the cost of cessation services, for example – are not resolved.”
Prof Agnes Nairn, an expert in marketing at the University of Bristol, said of the inserts: “They won’t do any harm, but rational cognitive messages that aim to break a physical addiction are unlikely to have much impact.”
Anna Gilmore, professor of public health at the University of Bath, said: “Pack inserts would be a really positive step and a key part of encouraging smokers to quit. With two in three long-term smokers dying of their habit, it is essential the government implements evidence-based measures like this.
“The government should go further too. There is long-standing evidence that mass media campaigns reduce smoking and those should also be implemented. A ‘polluter pays’ tax on tobacco companies could be used to fund them.”
