Tobacco control

Bringing down smoking rates

We are a core funder of the policy and advocacy organisations; Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), ASH Wales and ASH Scotland. By working in partnership with these organisations, we can help ensure that the UK continues to make progress in reducing the harm caused by tobacco.

British Heart Foundation is also a member of the Smoke Free Action Coalition, a group of over 300 organisations across the UK committed to ending smoking.

BHF has played a pivotal role in demonstrating the impact of smoking and second-hand smoke on heart and circulatory health. We have had several successes in influencing the UK Government to reform tobacco control. These include:

• the introduction of standardised packaging
• the ban on smoking in cars
• the removal of cigarette vending machines
• the introduction of screens to hide tobacco products in shops.

In 2014, our collaboration with the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation project also provided vital evidence in demonstrating the effectiveness of standardised packaging for reducing smoking rates. 

Tackling inequalities

Smoking accounts for half the difference in life expectancy between the most and least deprived communities in England. It is also a key contributing factor to inequalities in rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) across the country.

We are committed to ensuring that the Government implements targeted action to reduce smoking rates in communities with disproportionately high prevalence, to help reduce inequalities and improve CVD outcomes for every single household.

E-cigarettes

Research suggests that e-cigarettes (also called ‘vapes’) may be less harmful to the heart and circulatory system than tobacco in the short-term, but this doesn’t mean they are risk-free. We would never recommend the use of e-cigarettes by people who don’t already smoke, and especially not young people, but we do recognise that they can be an effective tool to help people stop smoking. 

Towards a comprehensive approach to tobacco control

Given the burden tobacco use places on the UK’s heart and circulatory health, as well as our wider health and social care system, BHF is calling on the Government to implement a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that is centred around impactful, evidence-based measures.

A comprehensive tobacco control approach is one that implements several measures at national and local level to bring about a smoke-free future. This may include measures designed to reduce the availability and affordability of tobacco products.

Evidence shows that these measures are associated with reductions in national smoking rates. For example, a sustained reduction in smoking rates across relevant age groups in England was observed following the 2007 increase in age of sale of cigarettes, from 16 to 18. 

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the most recent piece of legislation put forward by the UK Government to reduce smoking prevalence across the UK. The Bill aims to raise the age of sale of tobacco products by one year every year, as well as implement new measures to reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes to people who do not smoke. BHF will continue to support the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as an important piece of lifesaving legislation. 

However, despite the progress we have made to reduce smoking rates, inequalities in the distribution of smoking-related harm prevail and contribute significantly to inequalities in heart and circulatory health.

In addition to implementing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are calling on the Government to ensure the tobacco industry pays proportionate compensation to society for the harm its products cause. This includes sustained funding for local ‘stop smoking’ services, as well as effective enforcement of existing tobacco control laws.