In England in 2011, smoking accounted for over 79,000 deaths (18 per cent) among adults aged over 35, according to the NHS Information Centre. Around half of all regular smokers are eventually killed by a smoking-related illness. On average, smokers who die from a smoking-related illness lose around 10 years of life. These health risks come at a price. According to research commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health in 2010, the cost to the NHS of treating smoking-related illnesses amounted to nearly £2.7 billion.

Passive smoking is also detrimental. According to the Government's 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England' report, among children in the UK each year, exposure to secondhand smoke causes over 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infection in children under three years, 120,000 cases of middle ear disease and at least 22,000 new cases of wheezing and asthma. Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of infant mortality by an estimated 40 per cent, as well as causing complications during labour and an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth weight.