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Pressure mounts for tobacco advertising ban

Government targets to reduce cigarette consumption look increasingly unlikely to be achieved, the Cancer Research Campaign has warned in a recent report. It says that progress towards the targets is not being made, and that the inequalities between social groups are widening.

Recent government figures have shown that smoking rates among 11-15 year olds have risen from 8 per cent in 1988 to 10 per cent in 1993 and 12 per cent in 1994, instead of falling towards the target of 6 per cent.

The CRC is calling for increased spending on anti-smoking campaigns, together with a ban on tobacco advertising and increases in tobacco taxation. The Health Education Authority’s recently published Health and Lifestyles survey showed that 76 per cent of adults would support an advertising ban.

The CRC’s report points out that lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in the UK. About 80-90 per cent of cases are directly attributable to smoking. Despite medical interventions, 75 per cent of people who develop lung cancer will die within one year, and 95 per cent within 5 years.

In a further blow to health campaigners, the government has refused to honour its pledge in 1992 to legislate for smoke-free public spaces if this could not be achieved by voluntary means.