New research suggests that reducing the amount of tobacco smuggled into the U.K. could prevent substantial numbers of premature deaths, the Guardian reported Oct. 11.

The study led by Robert West of the Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Center in London estimated that the price of cigarettes would rise by 12 percent if tobacco smuggling was stopped. The researchers said that the increase could encourage up to eight percent of smokers to quit, resulting in 4,000 fewer smoking-related deaths.

The 4,000 deaths West and colleagues attributed to smuggled tobacco is about four times the number of deaths caused annually in the U.K. by illicit drug use.

"Britain already has one of the world's toughest tobacco-control policies, but greater action on smuggling might help cut smoking further," the study stated.  The authors urged the U.K. government to follow the lead of other European countries by signing agreements with tobacco companies to control distribution and end the supply of tobacco to contractors linked to smuggling.

The study also suggests that a price increase could induce poorer smokers to quit, helping to reduce a large health-related disparity that exists between socioeconomic groups.

The study appeared in the Oct. 9, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal.