Today Cancer Research UK has called for Welsh Government to set a target to reduce adult smoking rates to a maximum of 5% by 2030.

The charity forecasts that the numbers of smokers in Wales could fall by 220,000 between now and 2030 if such a target is set.

ASH Wales strongly supports this call for an endgame target to eradicate smoking in Wales and believes this should form part a key part of the Welsh Government’s new Tobacco Control Plan.

Across Wales 17% of the population still smoke with 30 young people taking up the habit every day.

This deadly addiction leads to thousands of deaths in Wales every year and costs the Welsh economy £790.66 million a year. It is responsible for the stark health inequalities that continue to blight communities across Wales, with smoking prevalence highest in our poorest areas.

We have come a long way in reducing smoking prevalence. And if the Welsh Government sets an endgame target, we will have an opportunity to stamp it out completely.

However, in order for us to have any realistic chance of reaching that target, steps must be taken to focus efforts on providing targeted smoking cessation support to the remaining 467,000 smokers in Wales.

We believe that a community-based approach to smoking cessation is needed, providing accessible and tailored support to those hardened long-term smokers that need it the most.

Preventative action is also crucial. Smoking prevalence among 15 to 16-year-olds has remained at 9% since 2013 and recent figures have shown that a third of pregnant teenagers in Wales smoke. It will not be possible to hit the target unless more is done to prevent young people from becoming the next generation of smokers in Wales. We support the introduction of more smoke-free spaces aimed at de-normalising smoking in the eyes of young people and have called for education about the harms of smoking to be part of the new Welsh curriculum.