The government launched plans on Monday to halve the number of smokers in Britain by the end of the decade and said it would consider removing branding from cigarette packets and banning cigarette vending machines. At the moment, 21 percent of the population smoke and ministers want to reduce that figure to 10 percent by 2020, with a particular focus on young people. “We've come so far and now we'll go even further -- to push forward and save even more lives,” said Health Secretary Andy Burnham. “One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place.” The number of people lighting up has fallen by a quarter in the past decade as a result of various policies including a ban on advertising, putting grisly pictures on packets and raising the age of sale for tobacco to 18. In 2007, the government introduced a ban on smoking in virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces, and last year 337,000 people quit cigarettes. But despite falling smoking rates, the number of deaths attributed to smoking is 80,000 a year, costing the National Health Service some 2.7 billion pounds a year. The government said seven out of 10 smokers want to give up and, as part of the new strategy, smoking restrictions will be reviewed to see if they should be extended to include entrances to buildings. It also will look at protecting children from second-hand smoke by promoting smoke-free homes and cars. Tailor-made anti-smoking strategies will be available on the NHS, and the government will crack down on cheap, illicit cigarettes.
