NHS spends £11 million on smoking cessation

The Scottish NHS gave out £11 million-worth of smoking cessation drugs last year; a figure that ministers are celebrating, because they say it shows people’s willingness to quit.

Close to 400,000 anti-smoking prescriptions were given out in 2009. This is one third higher than in previous years, indicating a massive surge in the numbers of people looking to quit. The smoking ban that came into force in 2006, and which has now become an accepted part of life in Scottish bars, restaurants and club. This pioneering action was adopted in England and Wales the following year. The latest word is that the government could extend the law, to include cars, beaches, parks and other places, if the latest advice from the Royal College of Physicians is taken on board.

The Scottish Health Minister, Shona Robinson, said that aids to help people quit, including nicotine patches, make it “much easier” to stub out the habit. She added: "the 31 per cent increase in items prescribed shows more people are accessing support."

Many people do indeed find that, when it comes to giving up, willpower alone isn’t enough. While quitting can be immensely difficult, especially for those who have smoked for years, the rewards in terms of improving health are enormous. It reduces your risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease and numerous other medical conditions. And the latest research suggests a link between smoking and breast cancer, too. This comes from from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where evidence suggests that smoking just 100 cigarettes, at any point in your life, can substantially raise your risk of developing breast cancer.

Obesity prescriptions drop

In contrast to smoking medications, the level of anti-obesity drugs given out by the Scottish NHS has actually dropped. One Minister said he believed that this is a good thing, because other ways of overcoming obesity – primarily, being more active and eating nutritious foods – need to be explored. But the level of obesity has actually risen at an alarming rates in Scotland, a problem that urgently needs to be addressed. In this scenario, should anti-obesity drugs be more widely promoted?