Why isn’t everyone enjoying the benefits of quitting smoking?

We all have the ability to change but unfortunately we don’t all have the means, writes Ian Hamilton

People are more likely to be successful at quitting smoking when there are as few obstacles as possible (Getty/iStock)

One of the greatest public health achievements has been the significant reduction in UK rates of smoking. Some 6.6 million people, or 13.3 per cent of the population, were smokers in 2021 – the lowest proportion on record. This has been achieved by using a combination of carrot and stick policies – restricting where smoking is permitted, and providing support for those who want to abstain.

Nicotine has proved to be one of the most addictive drugs that humans are exposed to. Two-thirds of people who try a cigarette once go on to develop a habit. Reducing the number of people who smoke is the single biggest intervention we can make if we wish to improve the nation’s health. There won’t be many people in 2022 who aren’t aware of the risks and harms caused by smoking.

Of course, there is a time lag between falling rates of smoking and any benefits to the health of the population as a whole. In England, 200 people a day die as a result of smoking, and it will take some time before we see a fall in smoking-related mortality, the scale of which is a legacy of the large numbers who smoked in past decades.