As teens believe “slim cigs are less harmful”, big tobacco profits
Councillors at a Tyneside local authority have made a commitment to continue tackling smoking, one of the areas biggest killers.
Gateshead Council today signed the Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control, a promise to work to reduce preventable deaths in Gateshead. There are more than 33,700 people who smoke in Gateshead who are all at risk.
Councillor Mary Foy, responsible for health at Gateshead Council, said, “Smoking is responsible for the deaths of one in five adults aged 35 and over, around half of all long-term smokers will eventually die as a result of their addiction – approximately eleven people a day in the North East alone.”
“Smoking rates across Gateshead have fallen by more than one-third over the last eight years. This reflects our work with partners to educate the population, raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and tackle illegal tobacco and under age sales. But we can’t stop there – smoking incurs significant cost to the local economy and NHS that impacts on the wider community overall.”
Gateshead Council recognises the need to work on all areas of tobacco control and it targets businesses which illegally sell cigarettes to young people. This year Gateshead Council has already prosecuted seven individuals for illegal cigarette sales and 20,000 illegal cigarettes have been seized and destroyed.
That adds to the 12 million illegal cigarettes and tobacco products that enforcement teams have seized in Gateshead since 2009.
Campaigns have been run locally to raise awareness about the harms related to tobacco smoking, including Smokefree Homes, Take 7 Steps Out, No Smoking Day and Stoptober and recently work was done to highlight the damage of smoking on eyesight.
Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh, said: “Gateshead Council has made some fantastic progress over the past few years in protecting children from second-hand smoke in partnership with Fresh, supporting local NHS Stop Smoking Services, proactively tackling illegal tobacco and speaking with a loud voice to protect children from tobacco marketing.
“We need to do all we can to encourage adults to quit through information and support, but we also need to turn off the tap of future generations of children becoming smokers by restricting tobacco industry promotion.”
Smokers