Advocacy update May 2010

Dr Janet Atherton, chair of Smokefree North West, has written to the region’s MPs and to key ministers briefing them on the continued public health challenge posed by tobacco and to highlight the work being to combat it.

The briefing reminds the politicians that smoking continues to kill more people in England than alcohol, obesity, illegal drugs and road accidents combined and costs the NHS alone £2.7 billion each year.  It argues that with 35 people in the North West dying from smoking related illnesses each year, reducing smoking rates must remain a top public health priority and that tobacco control measures must be sustained to stop prevalence from rising again.

Emphasising the collaborative and targeted nature of Smokefree North West’s work, the briefing explains the focus on children and young people, tobacco control, tackling illicit tobacco and protecting children from tobacco marketing.