Could Britain be smoke-free by 2040?

Cigarette company Philip Morris has released a study suggesting that within 23 years the average number of smokers in the country will have fallen below 5%.

The study – carried out by Frontier Economics Research – suggested that the introduction of e-cigarettes and a recent general disinterest in beginning to smoke are contributory factors in this prediction.

According to Philip Morris research, whilst 10 years have passed since the smoking ban, Britain could be facing a smoke-free future by 2040.

Research also indicated that, if an extra 219,000 Britons were to quit the habit for a year, this smoke-free process would be accelerated.

Several advocates for smoking-free laws, such as Peter Nixon, the managing director of Philip Morris Limited, believe that “2040 is too long to wait”, and so several plans have been supported by Nixon such as the introduction of electronic cigarettes.

According to the study conducted by the Office for National Statistics, 5.6 percent of the British population are using e-cigarettes. Statistics have also shown that the greatest decline in the popularity of smoking since 2010 has been seen within people aged between 18 to 24.

The greatest decline in the popularity of smoking since 2010 has been seen within people aged between 18 to 24.

The view has been expressed by students that the future of smoking may not be as straightforward as the studies have suggested. Students told the Boar that the study presents too simplistic a view on smoking, and that they often enjoy using their breaks between lectures to smoke in popular areas around campus, such as outside Costa and the library.

One student, Andrei Ile, a second-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), has been smoking for five years, but expressed that he wishes “to quit after the Autumn term since cigarettes have been affecting my health”.

On the other hand, a second student questioned on the topic, Aydan Ali, first-year PPE, told the Boar that she would “only consider quitting after graduation, as I find smoking a stress-relieving activity”. As according to ScienceDirect, cigarette smoking chemically relieves anxiety and thus it is not surprising that in a highly pressured environment like university, some students do not feel inclined to quit.