Plans to ban the sale of cigarettes from vending machines and the use of plain packaging are "excellent", it has been claimed.
Martin Dockrell, director of research and policy at Action on Smoking and Health, said plans by health secretary Andy Burnham to reduce the availability and appeal of smoking could go a long way towards helping to reduce the number of adults who smoke in the UK.
He commented: "It's addiction that erodes people's ability to make choices. We know that seven out of ten smokers want to quit but it's really, really hard, so this strategy helps people make the choice to quit stick."
According to the NHS Information Centre, four-fifths (81 per cent) of people currently agree with the smoking ban in public places, while 69 per cent of adults aged 16 and over will not permit smoking of any kind in their own home - an increase from 61 per cent in 2006.
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