463 Children Start Smoking In England Every Day

New Study Reveals Shocking Figures

A new survey that was carried out by a number if health specialists including the Imperial Collage London and Cancer Research UK has uncovered some very shocking figures...around 463 children in England start smoking EVERY DAY.

This survey was conducted by surveying thousands of secondary school students that were aged between 11 and 15. Dr Hopkinson, a senior lecturer in respiratory medicine said;

“The effect of smoking on the growing lung is greater and if someone smokes as they are growing they may not achieve the lung function they should have had and then as they age and lung function declines they run into trouble more quickly and are at greater risk of developing conditions like emphysema in the future.”

There has been a call to standardise cigarette packages so that they lose their appeal but in all honesty is this really the primary motive behind people buying cigarettes? If so then a lot of major cigarette companies are missing a major trick here – why not just stick a load of flashing lights and fancy decorations on and around the packaging to draw in the crowds?

Why Standardisation Doesn't Work

If we use Australia as a prime example they have seen the standardisation of cigarette packages show no clear evidence that they are a deterrent and result in less people smoking. If anything the plain olive green packets that have been used for the past year have actually created new issues. The simple packaging has lead to an increase in counterfeit cigarettes, which actually then had a knock on effect of a drop in the government revenue due to the illicit sales.

So What Next?

An obvious thing to me that seems to get overlooked is the focus on trying to get adults to quit smoking. Ok, yeah this is brilliant, but why not go straight to the root of the problem, tackle the issue from its source...I am talking about children. I am not saying that’s its childrens’ fault that adults smoke...well actually I kind of am. Most adults that currently smoke started as a mini version of themselves during their school years, so while we should continue to help adults to quit smoking I think we need to change our approach slightly and put in more measures to stop children from picking up that first cigarette in the first place.