26th Annual No Smoking Day... with more smokers than ever

As “No Smoking Day” again comes around, the question has been asked whether the campaign in fact makes a difference. The general answer, as expected, from health boards is absolutely yes.

The No Smoking Day’s official website claims that more than a million people try and quit smoking each year, and not always successfully, but Bolton in particular has been targeted and praised for its efforts in trying.

Deborah Collinson of The Bolton Primary Care Trust said: "There really has never been a better time to stop smoking and No Smoking Day is a great incentive. Recent statistics have revealed the number of smokers in Bolton has fallen.”

But even a Quit Smoking blog acknowledges the pressures of such campaigns. “What about those smokers who do not want to stop smoking?”

It is often argued that bringing smoking into the limelight is a reminder for those who have quit in the past, and urges them back to old habits. But Chancellor Alistair Darling remains confident that incentives such as these, can be nothing but a benefit overall.

His announcement of a 11p rise per pack of cigarettes comes at the same time as the 25th No Smoking Day this year.(March 12th) No Smoking Day chief executive Dan Tickle said: “Today’s Budget rise, coming on the back of smokefree legislation, is likely to be a decisive factor for many smokers considering quitting. A 20-a-day smoker will now be spending well over £2000 a year, up from under £500 when we launched our first No Smoking Day, 25 years ago."

On paper, this looks more than convincing, but prices have risen before, No Smoking Day's have been around for 25 years, and yet, there are still thousands of people dying each year of cancer-related illnesses. Are days like this actually giving us any new information? Or are they repeat scare tactics in the hope of reducing the numbers? Maybe the 26th year will shed some light on the situation.