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It’s no secret that cigarettes have been around for a long time and have been a staple part of many people’s lives in the United Kingdom for the last century. Unfortunately, due to their addictive and unhealthy contents, the dangers of cigarettes are widely known and cigarettes are continuing to be stigmatised as a result.
It all started in 1965 when the UK was the first country to introduce a wide-spread ban on tobacco advertising. The restrictions were put in place to try and help reduce the number of young people starting to smoke, and slow down the trend of the country becoming more and more ‘addicted’ to tobacco.
Today, the smoking rates continue to decline, however, cigarettes are still very popular amongst certain sections of the population. In fact, it is estimated that around one in five people in the UK are regular smokers.
Many people who are addicted to cigarettes find it hard to quit due to the substance nicotine that is found in cigarettes. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug which can lead to physical and psychological dependencies making it difficult to quit.
The dangers of smoking are wide and varied. From a physical point of view, smoking increases the risk of many health problems including a number of potentially fatal diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes.
From an environmental and economic point of view, cigarettes can also be damaging. Cigarette smoking is responsible for the build-up of litter in public spaces, contaminates the air with fumes and adds to the strain on the NHS with increased numbers of hospitalisations from smoking-related diseases.
These are just some of the negative effects of cigarettes, however, the costs of smoking don’t just affect the individual, but can also have an impact on those around them. Second-hand smoking can increase the risk of cancers, and respiratory and heart diseases in non-smokers.
In order to reduce the number of smokers in the UK, the government and other organisations have over the years implemented a number of measures including banning tobacco advertising, increasing the price of cigarettes, and introducing plain packaging laws.
There are also the organisations, such as Stop Smoking Services, which are there to help those who are trying to quit, providing advice and support for those who are struggling.
Overall, cigarettes continue to be a major problem in the UK and the risks and dangers that accompany them cannot be ignored. Increasingly stricter laws and initiatives are helping to reduce the number of smokers in the country but there is still work to be done to reduce the damage that smoking does.