The figures published by Public Health Wales should finally put an end to the myth that smoking is simply a matter of personal choice. When a habit costs Wales £1.56b every year, consumes around 5 per cent of the nation’s health and social care budget, and leaves a legacy of disease, disability, environmental damage and lost productivity, it becomes a matter of public concern.

Smoking is not a harmless lifestyle preference but a costly and destructive addiction. Its consequences extend far beyond the individual smoker, placing a heavy burden on families, communities, employers and taxpayers. Welsh taxpayers fund the treatment of smoking-related illnesses, while businesses and the wider economy pay the price through sickness, reduced productivity and premature deaths.

The scale of the damage is striking. More than £650m is spent treating smoking-related health conditions, while around £670m is lost through reduced productivity. Environmental impacts, including litter, fires and pollution, cost £240m. These staggering sums represent resources that could instead be invested in schools, hospitals, public services and economic development.

Supporters of smoking often frame it as an issue of personal freedom. The choice to smoke should not mean imposing huge financial costs on society or exposing others to the dangers of second-hand smoke. Nor should it blind us to the suffering caused by smoking-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

The burden falls most heavily on those least able to bear it. Smoking rates in Wales’s most deprived communities remain more than three times higher than in the least deprived areas. For decades, tobacco companies have profited from this inequality.

There are reasons for optimism. Smoking rates continue to decline, and Wales’s ambition to become smoke-free is supported by measures such as the Tobacco and Vapes Act, tougher controls on nicotine products and expanded cessation programmes through Help Me Quit.

But progress must not breed complacency. Every smoker who quits benefits not only their own health but the wellbeing and prosperity of Wales. The evidence is overwhelming: smoking remains one of the most damaging and expensive habits in society. The sooner it is consigned to history, the better for everyone.