Current Policy Issues

Smoking is the major preventable cause of death in the UK. To achieve our vision of a society free from the harm caused by tobacco, ASH is involved in the development of tobacco control policies both nationally and internationally.  

In 2008, to mark the tenth anniversary of the first Government white paper on tobacco, "Smoking kills", ASH launched "Beyond Smoking Kills", our agenda on tobacco control for the next decade.  The current Government's Tobacco Control Plan for England was published in March 2011.  

ASH makes regular submissions to policy consultations on various tobacco-related issues. Those responses can be found on the Submissions page of this website.

• Advertising and promotion

  Review the legal restrictions placed on most forms of tobacco advertising.

• Harm reduction & product regulation

  Explore the various ways of reducing the harm caused by tobacco use.

• Health inequalities

  Review the major role played by smoking in health inequalities between socio-economic groups.

• Policy Research and Links

  Links to further research and policy documents

• Secondhand Smoke

  Learn more about the effects of passive, or secondhand, smoking (SHS).

• Taxation & smuggling

  Explore the arguments for raising tobacco tax and tackling smuggling to reduce tobacco use

• Youth Smoking

  The best way to reduce youth smoking is through comprehensive tobacco control measures that apply to the whole population.