Despite the many initiatives launched in the last two decades,
there is still a long way to go to tackle Britain's big health
and lifestyle challenges: alcohol misuse, obesity and smoking.
The biggest and worst of these public health challenges remains
smoking. Unlike high-fat foods or alcohol, there is no
acceptable level of consumption of cigarettes. Smoking kills –
it's that simple. Not only does smoking shorten smokers' lives,
but it also comes at an enormous cost to the taxpayer. Smoking-
related illnesses are estimated to cost the NHS at least £2.7bn
a year in England alone. Today marks the closure of the
government's consultation on whether plain packaging of tobacco
products should be introduced in the UK. The prospect of
standardised cigarette packaging coming into law will inevitably
result in a greater focus on the harmful effects associated with
smoking and the role that our government can play in helping
people to kick the habit. The medical evidence is startlingly
clear; smoking is the single big