New Study Highlights Monstrous Cost Of Smoking To UK, Says Heart Charity

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Also Included In: Heart Disease
Article Date: 10 Jun 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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In response to a study, funded by the British Heart Foundation and published online by Tobacco Control Journal , Betty McBride, Policy & Communications Director, at the British Heart Foundation, said:

"We are now spending over £5bn a year dealing with the health consequences of smoking. This is money being drained out of the NHS as a direct result of something we have the power to prevent.

"Yet the true tragedy of this monstrous figure is the lives that are cut short or ruined as a result of smoking.

"This study shows exactly why we need the strongest possible measures to control the sale of tobacco.

"The Health Bill, going through parliament now, gives the UK Government the perfect opportunity to act. By legislating bans on point of sale display and cigarette vending machines we can stop today's children being lured into becoming the next generation of sick smokers.

"Only with a comprehensive tobacco control plan in all four nations of the UK will we really tackle the financial and human cost of smoking."

According to the study:

- Smoking was directly responsible for 19% of all deaths in the UK
- Smoking cost the NHS over £5bn, 5.5% of the NHS's total healthcare cost.
- An estimated 110,000 deaths in the UK could be attributed to smoking, causing the deaths of over 27% of men and nearly 11% of women.
- In England the total number of deaths figure was around 90,000 in Wales 6,000, in Northern Ireland 2,500 and in Scotland 11,000.
- Over £2.5bn was calculated to have been spent on cardiovascular diseases as a direct result of smoking.

The study can be viewed in full here.

Source
The British Heart Foundation