Khan Review Released
The government’s independent review “Making Smoking Obsolete” has been released and was met with comments describing it as containing “bold recommendations”
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by Dave Cross
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“In 2019, the government set an objective for England to be smokefree by 2030, meaning only 5% of the population would smoke by then. Without achieving this objective, the government will simply not meet its manifesto commitment ‘to extend healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035’. It will also prevent the government from fulfilling its ambition to save more lives as part of a new 10-Year Cancer Plan,” said Dr Javed Khan OBE.
“My review found that without further action, England will miss the smokefree 2030 target by at least 7 years, and the poorest areas in society will not meet it until 2044. To have any chance of hitting the smokefree 2030 target, we need to accelerate the rate of decline of people who smoke, by 40%.”
Presentations at the launch
The Royal Society for Public Health welcomed the report: “Thank you to Javed Khan for delivering the Khan Review today highlighting the urgent action needed if we are to meet the government’s Smoke Free by 2030 target.”
Richard Holley, the Area Manager (Smoking Cessation) and Tobacco Control Lead at North Northamptonshire Council commented: “An exceptional report from Javed Khan, with many bold recommendations that will make all the difference in helping us meet the 2030 target. I was especially pleased to hear of Khan's suggestion for retailers to require a licence to sell tobacco - long overdue!”
“Embrace the promotion of vaping as the most effective tool to help smokers quit” - Dr Javed Khan OBE
There are 15 recommendations, but Dr Javed Khan highlights four as being “critical” for government attentions and the cornerstones upon which all the other recommendations are based:
- Increased investment
- Increase the age of sale
- Promote vaping
- Improve prevention in the NHS
Dr Javed Khan said: “The government must embrace the promotion of vaping as an effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco. We know vapes are not a ‘silver bullet’ nor are they totally risk-free, but the alternative is far worse.”
He concluded: “These interventions are critical as they will lead to exponential gains in reducing health disparities. The supporting recommendations I have set out, present a holistic response to the challenge we face. Taken together, and if implemented in full, I believe these actions will get the government to its 2030 target and then lead to a smokefree generation. But to get there, there can be no short cuts, no quick fixes, no excuses. So, I urge the government to seize this moment and commit to making smoking obsolete.”
References:
- Making smoking obsolete - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-khan-review-making-smoking-obsolete
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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