No Smoking Day 2026

In Scotland, we have joined the Scottish Coalition on Tobacco (SCOT) to lend our weight to those campaigning to shape change for a positive future for the public health of Scotland.

We are also members of Non-Communicable Disease Alliance Scotland, a coalition of health organisations working to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases through action on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods.

Today, 11^th March 2026, is No Smoking Day, and we are supporting the campaign by highlighting the benefits that can be gained by quitting smoking.

Here are just some of the benefits of quitting:

• Your health starts to improve within hours of stopping smoking. After 20 minutes your heart rate and blood pressure drop, after two to three months, your lung function and circulation improve and after five years your risk of many cancers is reduced.
• If you smoke 11 cigarettes a day, you could save on average, £1351 within 6 months of quitting!
• Risk of pancreatic cancer starts to decrease 10 years after quitting and the risk fully reverses to that of a never-smoker 20 years after quitting.
• Diabetes is not only a risk factor for pancreatic cancer but also an illness that long-term smokers can develop. 5 years after quitting, the risk of diabetes occurring returns to that of a non-smoker.

The theme is ‘Quit and Win’ and we are encouraging people who smoke to quit and win with their physical health, mental wellbeing and personal finances when they leave tobacco behind.

For No Smoking Day, we want to signpost people who may need help to give up smoking. With the right help, you are 3x more likely to quit smoking for good!