Forest attacks Public Health England's "poisonous" anti-smoking campaign

Mon 29th December, 2014

Forest has described Public Health England's new anti-smoking campaign as "rotten", "poisonous" and an "abuse of public money".

According to PHE, "research reveals that poisons in tobacco smoke break down the body's key systems, damaging bones, muscles, brain, teeth and eyes".

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "There can't be a sane adult in the United Kingdom who isn't well aware of the health risks of smoking.

"What's really poisonous is the way public health campaigners are constantly trying to scare and harass people with exaggerated claims and dubious statistics.

"Campaigns like this are an abuse of public money. Education has been replaced by shrill scaremongering that is often counter-productive because it's human nature to switch off when you're being nagged or shouted at on an almost daily basis.

"This is real life not a Hammer Horror film. If Public Health England wants to be effective they should engage with consumers, not try to scare them with rotten campaigns such as this."

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