Herefordshire Tobacco Control Alliance has today launched the county’s first five-year plan for tobacco control and smoking cessation.
The plan details the actions that the Alliance will be taking in Herefordshire to reach the national vision to be smokefree by 2030. This means that by 2030, 5% or fewer of our local population will be smokers.
According to national data, currently around 10% of adults in the county are smokers, which means around 16,000 individuals. In addition, 14% of secondary school pupils in Herefordshire have tried vaping; 21% of 16-18 year olds say they vaped often and 36% have tried smoking cigarettes.
Four key areas have been chosen as the focus for the plan. These are:
- Prevention, in particular to take actions that prevent uptake in children and young people and to increase the number of smoke-free spaces. There will also be efforts to reduce smoking during pregnancy and after birth.
- Supporting smokers to quit the habit through continuing to provide free, accessible and effective stop smoking services.
- Tackling and reducing differences in smoking rates by providing targeted support to people who are more likely to smoke. Many of these people will already suffer from poorer health and other disadvantages.
- Enforcement activities, such as tackling supply and demand of illegal tobacco and under-age sales of smoking and vape products. Also to tackle cigarette-related waste and litter and reduce environmental smoke.
Councillor Carole Gandy, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said:
Smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable ill-health and death nationally and quitting smoking is the very best thing individuals can do for their health. It is also a very expensive habit – if you smoke 20 a day, it will cost you about £2,300 per year.
The Herefordshire Tobacco Control Alliance has developed detailed plans aimed at reducing the impact that smoking has on our county. Going ‘Smokefree’ will result in massive health benefits for our residents and will also benefit our local economy. According to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) smoking costs Herefordshire £123 million each year when you take into account the impact of smoking on productivity, health and social care costs and fire costs due to smoking.