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Plans to crack down on smoking in Leeds are being drawn up as the number of smokers in the city is on the rise.
In recent years smoking levels have decreased from 30 to 23 per cent.
However, a health boss revealed that the city was struggling to maintain that level and more measures were needed to combat the problem.
A new action plan is now being drawn up that aims to reduce the number of smokers by 6,000 by 2015 – a reduction from 23 to 22 per cent.
Councillors on Leeds City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Board met to discuss the new Leeds Tobacco Strategy.
The strategy includes implementing a tobacco control management group and alliance, providing more smoking cessation sessions and working with West Yorkshire Trading Standards to prevent the uptake of smoking in youngsters and crackdown on underage sales.
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Work has already been carried out to prevent underage sales in Armley and Middleton, where 40 per cent of premises were found to be supplying tobacco products to underage people.
A pilot scheme is also under way in four Leeds schools to help prevent youngsters from taking up the habit.
Dr Ian Cameron, joint director of Public Health for Leeds, said: “This will be a challenge but it is also an opportunity.
“This is really important and smoking is not just a health issue.”
At the meeting, Coun John Illingworth (Lab, Kirkstall) raised the issue of patients and visitors smoking outside Leeds hospitals where smoking shelters have recently been reinstalled.
He said: “When you go to the hospitals there is a queue of people, who are often on drips, going outside for a cigarette.
“This is something we should be addressing.”
Consultation on the strategy’s first draft is expected in the next couple of months.=
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Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Comments
There are 8 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
witchwoman
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 01:11 AMpick on smokers again another poor excuse they pay more tax and it go,s into the NHS smokers have rights just like anybody else i agree with sophie22 get people back to work
Bramleian
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:02 PMLeave them alone. A lot of people who live in Leeds need something to steady their nerves these days!
Sophie22
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 09:51 PMOh for goodness sake if people want to smoke then let them smoke it's their life! I agree with Beth251993 it costs a lot more to quit for some people. I think there are a lot more worthwhile causes to spend money on - like getting people back to work!
beth251993
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 09:42 PMeasier said then done .. its not easy quitting and it costs alot to buy NRT (nicotine Replacement Therapy) and nobody can be made to quit and everyone does the best they can to stop underage sales.
Justin Keenan
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 06:28 PMAccording to one of the biggest studies of its kind by Dutch researchers, a person of normal weight costs the NHS on average £210,000 over their lifetime, a smoker clocks up just £165,000 and the obese run up an average £187,000 bill. This is because a smoker on average dies 13 to 14 years younger of inexpensive, lethal diseases compared to non smokers who die later of less lethal lingering, and therefore more costly diseases. Also factor in the amount of tax a smoker pays through his lifetime and the fact that he will draw 13 years less pension if any, compared to a non-smoker. We should be encouraging smokers and treating them as patriots. They cost less and contribute more to the economy! I by the way am an ex-smoker.
CharlesX1
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:00 PMThe figures given as quit smoking are misleading. Figures are usually only given for those that have stopped for 2 to 4 weeks. They do not give figures for those that have stopped for one year or quit for good. Remember that smokers pay tax four times that of any so called smoking related illness.
Lord Wot Wot
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 03:14 PMOn the contrary, smoking ceasation programmes have had a significant impact and evidence suggests it continues to do so - you will note that the percentage stopping has decreased....not halted. Would you prefer to waste taxpayers money on the long term chronic health problems that smokers are more prone to? - it costs the taxpayer a hell of a lot more than these programmes
CharlesX1
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:40 PMIt is illegal to sell tobacco products to under 18s and if it wasn't for the extortionate amount of duty on them there wouldn't be any illegal ones. Millions have been spent on these quit smoking programmes any yet the smoking rate has remained steady over recent years. STOP wasting taxpayers money on theses useless programmes, because smokers will not quit unless they really want to..
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