ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

‘Smoking Kills’ Could Soon Be Printed On Every Individual Cigarette In The UK

‘Smoking Kills’ Could Soon Be Printed On Every Individual Cigarette In The UK

A politician is also trying to get the legal smoking age raised from 18 to 21.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

British MPs are proposing a new measure to try and get people to quit smoking.

While the UK introduced plain packaging that comes with confronting images of the effects of puffing on a cigarette back in 2015, politicians want to up the ante.

A health and care bill is currently going through parliament at the moment and a group of MPs have reportedly added an amendment that could see those shocking images of patients mandatory.

It could also see 'Smoking Kills' or 'Smoking Causes Cancer' be imprinted on every individual cigarette.

The study examined the reactions of 120 participants.
University of Stirling

Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy is leading the charge on that proposal and says a message like on each ciggie could be really effective.

She said: "We know that cigarettes are cancer sticks and kill half the people who use them. So I hope that health warnings on cigarettes would deter people from being tempted to smoke in the first place, especially young people.

"I hope it would encourage some smokers to give up because if they are putting that in their mouth and seeing that message on cigarettes every time they smoke, I hope it would have the desired effect."

The move has the support of Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of Physicians, who believe it could contribute to the plan to get less than 5 per cent of people in England smoking by 2030.

Foy is also hoping to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21 and make it illegal for e-cigarette companies to use tactics that might entice children.

Conservative former Cabinet minister, Sir George Young, has also launched his own private member's bill to the House of Lords.

Alamy

He tried and failed to get health warnings attached to cigarettes when he was a health minister in Margaret Thatcher's government.

But he's giving it another go now that he's a peer and vice chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health.

"As health minister I suggested health warnings on cigarettes might help more people quit smoking. The tobacco companies told me this would make cigarettes more dangerous, as the ink was carcinogenic.

"Plainly this is nonsense given that tobacco already contains 70 cancer causing chemicals."

A 2019 study found that printing 'smoking kills' onto individual cigarettes could help people kick the habit.

Researchers from the University of Stirling looked at the impact directly branding cigs had on smokers, as opposed to warnings that were only printed on the packaging.

The university found that participants viewed warnings on individual cigarettes to be 'depressing, worrying and frightening', and that the message regarding the dangers of smoking stayed with them for longer.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: News, Smoking