Smokers who cannot quit now urged to cut down

The landmark guidance to reduce tobacco-related harm for people struggling to kick the habit is the first to recommend that licensed nicotine-containing products can be used to help people cut down on the amount they smoke.

People targeted by the advice includes those who may not be able to give up in one go, those who want to stop smoking without giving up nicotine and those who might not be ready to stop but want to reduce the amount they smoke.

The guidance, issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), recognises that although stopping completely is the best way to reduce harm, many people are unable to do so.

Professor Mike Kelly, director of the Nice centre for Public Health, opened a press briefing about the guidance with a Mark Twain quote: “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world.

“I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.”

Prof Kelly said the guidance endorses cutting down on smoking with the help of licensed nicotine products such as patches and gum to help reduce the harm caused by tobacco.

Professor Linda Bauld, chairwoman of the Nice guidance development group, and Professor of Health Policy at the University of Stirling, said: “The cost to the NHS in England of treating smoking-related illnesses is an estimated £2.7bn a year. One in five adults in England smoke, and around two thirds of people who smoke say they’d like to quit.”