Action on Smoking and Health

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) was established in January 1971 by the Royal College of Physicians following the government’s refusal to act on their demand for laws to reduce tobacco usage. It is governed by a Board of Trustees and aims to raise awareness of the harm caused by tobacco. It is funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and also receives funding from the Department of Health under its Section 64 grant programme. It campaigns for legislation including banning smoking in indoor workplaces, tobacco display ban and standardised packaging. ASH Scotland is an independent charity while ASH Wales is an autonomous branch of the UK charity.