North East Lincolnshire Council is urging smokers to seek help to quit from some of the successful local support schemes following the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament.
The bill, once passed, will dramatically reduce smoking rates by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes) to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. This ensures anyone under 15 in 2024 will never legally purchase tobacco, even as adults.
The new Bill goes further than the last with:
- Further powers to regulate the design of vapes
- A ban on vape advertising and sponsorship
- Powers to create a retail licensing regime for the sale of tobacco and vapes
- Powers to extend smokefree legislation to further outdoor areas
- Powers to prohibit vaping in smokefree places.
It will have a significant impact across North East Lincolnshire, as smoking currently costs the region £198-million a year in medical care, health and social care, lost earnings, and smoking-related unemployment. No other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users, most of whom start as teenagers.
Tobacco is responsible for 2,541 premature deaths each year across Yorkshire and the Humber – that’s seven lives lost every single day – along with 18,494 hospital admissions to treat smoking related illnesses.
Diane Lee, Director of Public Health in North East Lincolnshire, said: “Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in England, responsible for 64,000 fatalities each year and killing two out of three smokers.
“We know that most people who smoke start young, regret ever starting and then struggle to quit. This is why it is vital to prevent our children and young people becoming addicted to this lethal product.
“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is exactly the decisive action needed to reduce long-term preventable illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, COPD and cardiovascular disease to help everyone live longer, healthier lives – tackling tobacco and the harms caused by second-hand smoke is the single most important public health intervention we can make.”
The Humber and North Yorkshire Centre for Excellence in Tobacco Control works in partnership with tobacco control leads across the region, including public health, local authorities, locally commissioned stop smoking services, hospital trusts and primary care colleagues, with unanimous support for the bill across the network.
Scott Crosby, Associate Director for the Humber and North Yorkshire Centre for Excellence in Tobacco Control, said:
“I am thrilled that the bill is back in Parliament. Since the inception of the bill back in October 2023, the Humber and North Yorkshire Centre for Excellence in Tobacco Control have worked tirelessly to support this lifesaving proposal, recognising that protecting our children from this harm is an investment in our nation’s future.”
Local figures show that a number of successful support schemes to help people to stop smoking are already having an impact in North East Lincolnshire
The Wellbeing service offers different approaches for those who find the thought of stopping smoking overwhelming. Initiatives such as the Swap 2 Stop scheme – to give up cigarettes for a free vape starter kit as part of a 12-week programme of support – are available.
Evidence is clear that smokers who receive a combination of pharmacotherapy and skilled behavioural support are up to four times as likely to quit successfully. Swapping to an effective replacement means that the harmful tobacco is removed, without the discomfort of nicotine withdrawal.
Free help is available for everyone to stop smoking in North East Lincolnshire, just visit https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/health-wellbeing-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/smoking/ or contact the Wellbeing Service, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU. Alternatively telephone: 01472 325500 or email: [email protected]
Cllr Stan Shreeve, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said: “Supporting people to give up smoking is a health priority in our region and I urge people to take advantage of the schemes we have available to help them.
“In North East Lincolnshire we are committed to tackling tobacco harm and want to see a healthier, smokefree future for everyone.”
Share this article