More adults in Doncaster smoke – despite the UK smoking rate falling to record low
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It comes as public health charity Action on Smoking and Health urged the Government to bring forward its bill to end the sale of tobacco and to create a generation "free from the harms of smoking".
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Hide AdBased on the 486 respondents to the Office for National Statistic's annual population survey in Doncaster, an estimated 17.8 per cent of adults in the area were smokers in 2023 – up from 12.4 per cent the year before.
The survey asked people if they "smoke cigarettes nowadays".
The figures also showed 20 per cent of adults in Doncaster were ex-smokers, while 62.2 per cent have never smoked.
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Hide AdAcross the UK, smoking levels reached their lowest level since national records began in 2011, with 11.9 per cent of adults saying they smoked cigarettes. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 12.7 per cent smoked.
ASH chief executive Hazel Cheeseman said the figures are proof the country is "ready to be smoke-free".
She added: "There is cross-party support for ending the sale of tobacco and creating a generation free from the harms of smoking and Government should bring forward the bill as soon as possible."
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Hide AdDespite the progress, she said there is still more to be done.
She added: "Our poorest communities continue to pay the price for tobacco company profits, as do our public services and economy.
"Alongside creating a smoke-free generation, the Government must maintain the commitment of the last Government to invest in support to help the 6 million people currently smoking to quit."
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Hide AdThe figures also showed those aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers in the UK. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 35 to 44 year-olds made up the highest proportion (16.5 per cent).
Publication of the smoking statistics comes after the Government revived plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in July, which could progressively increase the age at which people can buy tobacco, preventing anyone born in or after 2009 being legally able to do so.
It could also lead to restrictions on the flavours, packaging and display of vapes.
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Hide AdSeparate figures from the ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey found around 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8 per cent) used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in Great Britain last year.
E-cigarette use was highest among people aged 16 to 24 years, with 15.8 per cent using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.
Professor Nick Hopkinson, respiratory physician and chairman of ASH, said: "Vaping has helped millions of adults quit smoking and is much less harmful than smoking.
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Hide Ad"However, it is not risk-free and high levels of use among young people and growing use among never smokers is a concern."
He said the new bill must provide a "tough" regulatory framework to control the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes.
"We need to reinforce the role of vaping as a tool to stop smoking, not a lifestyle accessory," he added.
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Hide AdA Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Vapes can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit, but we have always been clear children and adult non-smokers should not vape."
They added: "Meanwhile, smoking claims 80,000 lives a year, puts huge pressure on our NHS, and costs taxpayers billions.
"The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine, saving thousands of lives and easing pressures on the NHS."
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