Smoking and the surgeon: no more excuses

It is well recognized that smoking is a major public health issue. Smoking rates in Australia have continued to decline over time, and the latest ABS data from 2014 to 2015 show rates of smoking of 14.5%, down from a peak of 27.3% of men in 1995. Many of the drivers for smoking cessation are likely to have been major public health campaigns and governmental taxation changes. The article in this issue by Lilic et al.1 discusses the impact of another government-led intervention to reduce smoking rates with plain paper packaging. The challenge for the surgeon is to bring that public health understanding into individual patient care.