Smoking could cause 300,000 cases of cancer over the next five years, including 2,800 from secondhand smoke, according to a new analysis.
The alarming statistics, published by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), show that the “magnitude of harm” caused by cigarettes and tobacco “cannot be ignored”.
The charity estimates that tobacco is responsible for an all-time high of 160 new cancer cases a day, and that around 2,500 young adults continue to smoke each week.
His latest analysis comes ahead of the second reading of the Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which will aim to create the first smoke-free generation, in the House of Commons tomorrow.
This landmark legislation was recently introduced to Parliament and will expand smoke-free spaces, introduce a licensing system for tobacco and e-cigarettes and progressively raise the sales age for tobacco products.
The CRUK study predicts that cases of cancer caused by smoking could reach 296,661 during this term, between July 2024 and July 2029.
There are an estimated 243,045 in England, followed by 29,365 in Scotland, 15,161 in Wales and 9,090 in Northern Ireland.
In total, 2,846 cases of cancer in the UK could be caused by exposure to second-hand smoke in people who have never smoked, the analysis claims.
The alarming statistics, published by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), show that the “magnitude of harm” caused by cigarettes and tobacco “cannot be ignored”.
Landmark legislation was recently introduced to Parliament that will expand smoke-free spaces, introduce a licensing system for tobacco and e-cigarettes and progressively raise the sales age for tobacco products.
A charity is urging all MPs to vote in favor of the Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which could prevent anyone born after January 1, 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be purchased.
Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at CRUK, said: “Tobacco kills up to two-thirds of its users.
‘The magnitude of the harm caused by smoking cannot be ignored and these statistics expose the lives that are at stake.
‘We know that smoking rates decrease with government intervention. Raising the sales age for tobacco products and funding smoking cessation services will help protect people from a life of costly and deadly addiction.’
The charity is urging all MPs to vote in favor of the Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which could prevent anyone born after January 1, 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be purchased.
Restrictions on advertising and sponsorship of vaping, as well as restrictions on flavours, presentations and packaging could also be introduced to reduce its appeal to children and young people.
Meanwhile, vaping and smoking could also be banned on playgrounds and outside schools.
“The tobacco and e-cigarette bill could be one of the most impactful public health interventions of my lifetime,” Dr. Walker added.
“People’s lives are now in the hands of politicians and I urge all MPs to vote for a future free of the harms of tobacco.”
The latest Annual Population Survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that around 11.9 per cent of people aged 18 and over (the equivalent of around six million people) smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2023. .
The latest Annual Population Survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that around 11.9 per cent of people aged 18 and over (the equivalent of around six million people) smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2023. .
This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since ONS records began in 2011.
However, a CRUK-backed study published in October found that the equivalent of around 350 young adults aged 18 to 25 start smoking each day, and around 35,000 have taken up the habit since the King’s speech in July.