Inserts in cigarette packs to help smokers quit introduced

Placed inside the packaging of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, they would contain positive messages to encourage people to quit and signpost them to advice and support. The messages set out the health benefits of quitting – for example, improvements to breathing within a matter of days and a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of heart attack within a year – as well as showing smokers how much money they stand to save by giving up, with the average person likely to save over £2,000 per year if they quit.

Smoking remains the single leading preventable cause of illness and mortality in the UK. It results in nearly four per cent of all hospital admissions each year – equivalent to almost 450,000 admissions. Tobacco-related harms are also estimated to cost taxpayers an estimated £21 billion every year, including over £2 billion in costs to the NHS.