Headline message

The number of smokers will fall dramatically

Detailed goal

Four million fewer adults will be smokers, preventing thousands of new cases of cancer every year

Background information and strategies

How we will measure this

We will use the annual 'smoking-related behaviour and attitudes' report, which summarises findings related to smoking and is produced by the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey for Great Britain.

The current situation

In 2005, 25% of men and 23% of women in Britain were cigarette smokers – this equates to 11.7 million adult smokers.

We will achieve this goal by:

• Supporting research to test the success of methods and policies aimed at reducing tobacco use
• Conducting clinical trials of new products designed to help people stop smoking
• Lobbying Government to implement smoking reduction policies particularly targeted towards young people, low income groups and minority communities where smoking rates remain high.

We hope this work will also be supported by:

Other research organisations

• Conducting research alongside or in partnership with Cancer Research UK

Pharmaceutical companies

• Developing and marketing new products designed to stop smoking
• Reducing the cost of products designed to replace nicotine or help people stop smoking

Government

• Rolling out a co-ordinated tobacco control strategy through major national and local campaigns
• Allocating adequate funding to services designed to help people stop smoking
• Regulating products containing nicotine according to level of harm, including content packaging, promotion and availability
• Maintaining high prices through taxes and control of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco products

Public health and other bodies

• Lobbying Government about these policies