Written question asked by Beccy Cooper (Labour) on Monday, 15 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHS: Costs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of treating conditions (a) caused and (b) exacerbated by (i) tobacco, (ii) alcohol and (iii) drug use.

Answer

The available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol are shown in the following table:

Substance	Estimated NHS cost	Source of Estimate
Tobacco	£1.8 billion annually	Action on Smoking and Health, 2025
Alcohol	£4.9 billion annually	Institute of Alcohol Studies, 2021/22

Smoking is estimated to cost society £21.9 billion per year in England.

Estimates for drug use are more limited but based on data from the Office for National Statistics and the independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, the harms associated with wholly drug-related hospital admissions are estimated at £37 million. This cost includes admissions for mental and behavioural disorders, overdoses and poisonings, and drug-related neonatal disorders.

Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 10064
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Alcoholic drinks Costs Drugs NHS Misuse Tobacco
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

NHS: Costs

Secondary information

Librarians' tools