Forest slams call for more cash to reduce adult smoking rate

Thu 18th February, 2016

According to figures released today the decline in smoking among adults in Britain may be stalling.

Responding to calls from the anti-smoking group ASH for further investment in tobacco control measures including a "comprehensive tobacco control policy that includes mass media campaigns", Simon Clark, director of Forest, said:

"What these figures show is that recent tobacco control measures, including the tobacco display ban and punitive taxation, have failed.

"Plain packaging will fail too because it assumes wrongly that people smoke because of the packaging. What smokers like is what's inside the pack.

"Incredibly, ASH wants the government to repeat this cycle of failure by spending even more money on policies that don't work.

"When free market smoking cessation aids like e-cigarettes are available that's a complete waste of taxpayers' money.

"What the government has to understand is that millions of people enjoy smoking and no amount of harassment will change that.

"You can't outlaw pleasure and the more you tell people how to behave the more they will dig their heels in. It's called human nature."

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