AHS calls for a ban on smoking in cars

United Kingdom, October 9: The Action on Smoking and Health group (AHS) is putting pressure on the government to put a ban on smoking in cars. This, in turn will shield children and young people from being exposed to smoke coming from other sources.

The appeal by ASH comes in the wake of a recent report by the group which claims that smoking costs Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) a whopping 2.7 billion pounds ($4.74 billion) every year. These statistics are a billion more than what was a decade ago.

If steps had not been taken to curb a rise in the number of smokers, this cost would have shot up to more than 3 billion pounds annually.

Surgeon general’s report released in 2006 had also strongly pointed out the fact that second hand smoke is injurious to health, especially for children. At that time an ordinance was passed which prohibited smoking in cars in several states of the U.S.

At present, smoking behind the wheel is banned in South Africa, Canada, U.S. and Australia.

The ASH report said, “Children and young people are also regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in cars where levels of toxins can get extremely high, even when windows are opened.”

It further added, “Effective measures to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke in cars should be investigated.”

ASH also stressed on the fact that more efforts were needed to stop misleading messages being sent across to people. To prove its point, ASH pointed out the research done by the University of Nottingham. The research found that people thought that a certain product is not bad for health if it is labeled as “smooth” or has a light colored branding.

The need of the hour is to protect young people from fierce marketing strategies being used by the tobacco industry.

In Britain alone, over 80,000 deaths occur every year because of smoking related diseases. Moreover, one in seven 15-year olds is a regular smoker.

But some people believe that instead of being a burden on the society, smokers contribute a lot to the finances of the country. Simon Clark, director of the lobby group Forest, said, “Each year smokers pay over 9 billion pounds in tobacco taxation, a figure that dwarfs the alleged cost of smoking to the NHS.”