Tobacco control

Crackdown on illegal sale of vapes (2023)
New measures to combat rising levels of youth vaping | DHSC, UK

Smokers urged to swap cigarettes for vapes in world first scheme (2023)
Pregnant women will also be offered financial incentives to help them quit as part of a sweeping package of measures to cut smoking rates in England | DHSC, UK

The Khan review: making smoking obsolete (2022)
Independent review by Dr Javed Khan OBE into the government’s ambition to make England smokefree by 2030 | OHID, UK

Current and past trends in tobacco and e-cigarette use and the impact of control measures: an analysis of survey data and other evidence (PDF) (2021)
Current and past trends in tobacco and e-cigarette use and the impact of legislative and regulatory controls on smoking and e-cigarette use behaviours are outlined in this multi-method research | NatCen, UK

WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2021: addressing new and emerging products (2021)
This report tracks the progress made by countries in tobacco control since 2008 and, for the first time, presents data on electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as ‘e-cigarettes’. The report shows that many countries are making progress in the fight against tobacco, but some are not addressing emerging nicotine and tobacco products and failing to regulate them | WHO, Denmark

Delivering a Smokefree 2030: The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health recommendations for the Tobacco Control Plan 2021 (PDF)
This report sets out the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health’s recommendations for the Tobacco Control Plan to deliver a Smokefree 2030. Government action to end smoking is both needed and wanted, with three quarters of the public supporting both the ambition and Government action to deliver it | APPG on Smoking and Health, UK

Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Burning Issue for Asia (2021)
Sixty per cent of the world’s smokers live in this region and almost half the global deaths from smoking occur here. Asia is also home to nine in every ten users of smokeless tobacco, leading to high rates of oral cancer. In a number of countries, public health is severely undermined where governments either control or have a significant stake in domestic tobacco companies. New solutions are needed to tackle the public health threat from smoking and tobacco use – but safer nicotine products are banned in many countries. Would tobacco harm reduction improve public health in Asia? And if so – what are the obstacles that stand in its way? | GSTHR, UK

E-cigarette marketing in the UK: Evidence form adult and youth surveys and policy compliance studies (PDF) (2021)
This report brings together two complementary studies to provide a description of e-cigarette advertising spend, advertising content, compliance with advertising regulations, and reported noticing and appeal of e-cigarette marketing | Cancer Research UK, UK

Burning Issues: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (2020)
The central theme of this report, enshrined in many international treaties, is the universal right to health, including for those who for whatever reason continue to engage in risky behaviours. Harm reduction refers to a range of pragmatic policies, regulations and actions which either reduce health risks by providing safer forms of products or substances, or encourage less risky behaviours. Harm reduction does not focus primarily on the eradication of products or behaviours | KAC, UK

Ban on menthol flavoured cigarettes comes into force on 20 May 2020
From Wednesday 20th May 2020, the sale of menthol flavoured cigarettes will be prohibited.The legislation stems from the EU Tobacco Products Directive 2014. It has been transposed into UK law and will remain in force after the end of the transition period for leaving the EU comes to an end on 31 December 2020 | ASH, UK

No Fire, No Smoke: the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction Report (2018)
Every six seconds someone dies from a smoking-related disease and the problem is likely to worsen; the steep smoking declines in richer countries are slowing while in poorer countries smoking is set to rise. Existing forms of tobacco control are proving insufficient. There is substantial international, independent evidence that safer nicotine products could lead to a global revolution in public health. Time is way overdue that countries and international organizations support tobacco harm reduction and safer nicotine products | Knowledge Action Change, UK

Government missing opportunity with e-cigarettes (2018)
The Science and Technology Committee publishes its Report, E-cigarettes (PDF). The Report reviews the current evidence base on the harmfulness of e-cigarettes compared to conventional cigarettes and looks at the current policies on e-cigarettes, including in NHS mental health units and in prisons. The Committee concludes that e-cigarettes should not be treated in the same way as conventional cigarettes | Parliament.uk, UK

CLeaR local tobacco control assessment (2017)
Guidance for local authorities, public health bodies and the NHS on using ‘deep dive’ self-assessment tools to improve their tobacco control work | PHE, UK

Towards a smoke-free generation: tobacco control plan for England (2017)
Outlining plans to reduce smoking in England, with the aim of creating a smoke-free generation | DoH, UK

Cost of smoking to the NHS in England: 2015
Data on the cost of smoking to the NHS to support the development of the new Tobacco Control Plan for England | PHE, UK

NCI Tobacco Control Monograph Series 21 – The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control (2017)
This monograph, a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and WHO, examines the current research and evidence base surrounding the economics of tobacco control—including tobacco use, tobacco growing, manufacturing and trade, tobacco product taxes and prices, and tobacco control policies and other interventions to reduce tobacco use and its consequence | WHO, Switzerland

Guidance: Health matters: tobacco standard packs (2016)
Resources to help health professionals and local authorities to capitalise on the roll out of standard tobacco packs to encourage smokers to quit | PHE, UK

Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2015 to March 2016 (2016)
This annual report presents results from the monitoring of the NHS Stop Smoking Services in England during the period April 2015 to March 2016. NHS Stop Smoking Services offer support to help people quit smoking. This can include intensive support through group therapy or one-to-one support. The support is designed to be widely accessible within the local community and is provided by trained personnel, such as specialist smoking cessation advisors and trained nurses and pharmacists | NHS, UK

Use of e-cigarettes in public places and workplaces (2016)
Advice to inform evidence-based policy making | PHE, UK

Countdown to 20th May 2016: Changes to tobacco regulations (PDF) (2016)
This document has been produced by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), primarily for public health and enforcement professionals. It provides a summary of what the new regulations will cover, when they will be introduced, who will be responsible for enforcement and the penalties for non-compliance | ASH, UK

Smoke-free movies: from evidence to action (2016)
This document summarizes current knowledge about smoking in films as well as current and proposed approaches to reduce the impact of such imagery. The report’s aim is to help countries understand the basis for taking action to limit the depiction of smoking in films. This can help the Parties to the WHO FCTC in implementing specific recommendations on smoking in films in the Article 13 guidelines | WHO, Switzerland