Smoking in the UK

Tobacco smoking in the United Kingdom is legal, but under certain circumstances is is currently banned. It is generally recognised that smoking in the UK is a growing problem which is putting strain on the National Health Service (NHS) due to the considerable health problems which can be directly linked with smoking tobacco; because of this the UK Government is keen to try to reduce the number of smokers. As part of this commitment the NHS currently offers help to smokers who want to stop smoking in the form of a free "Quit Kit".
Health Issues
It has been estimated by Cancer Research UK that smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and early death with around 107,000 people dying in 2007 from smoking-related diseases including cancers in the UK. Around 86% of lung cancer deaths in the UK are caused by tobacco smoking and overall tobacco smoking is estimated to be responsible for more than a quarter of cancer deaths in the UK, around 43,000 deaths in 2007.
The British Medical Journal states that do to the drive to help smokers quit smoking, Britain has the world's largest reduction in the number of deaths from lung cancer. Previously in 1950 the UK had one of the worst rates in the world. The number of deaths from lung cancer are half of what they were in 1965.
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