SCCOT (the Scottish Cancer Coalition on Tobacco) was originally set up in October 1999 as an alliance of ASH Scotland and the leading cancer charities dedicated to cancer research and education and to cancer care. SCCOT provided a means to raise awareness specifically about the links between cancer and tobacco use. SCCOT also founded the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Tobacco Control (CPGTC) to assist with this goal.
In November 2004, it was agreed that SCCOT would no longer exist as a separate coalition, and that it would instead reform under a wider coalition of SCOT (the Scottish Coalition on Tobacco).
In practice the Scottish Coalition on Tobacco carries forward the work of SCCOT, broadening it out to raise awareness of the links between tobacco use and a range of other diseases and conditions, such as heart disease. This broader focus is reflected in the areas of expertise of member organisations involved in the SCOT coalition. In accepting this broader umbrella coalition, SCOT has also recognised the importance of broad and wide ranging tobacco control measures to effectively combat the tobacco epidemic in Scotland.