City's £100k anti-smoking grant
NOTTINGHAM is set to get a £100,000 grant to help smokers quit.
The city is one of 25 areas to share £2.5m from the Department of Health announced today
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Nottingham gets anti-smoking cash
The money will help councils encourage smokers to quit and discourage young people from taking up smoking.
It could be used to set up anti-smoking marketing campaigns, enforce tobacco advertising regulations and combat illicit cigarettes.
Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said: "We have made good progress on reducing overall smoking rates.
"Now we're helping people in areas with the highest rates of smoking – particularly among young people and those from the poorest communities – so that we can help them to kick the habit for good."
Some 38% of adults in Nottingham smoke, giving the city the second highest rate in the country.
Local authorities taking part in the programme will meet today in Warwick to explore how the funding could be used.
MPs are this week debating a Health Bill which includes measures to ban advertising of tobacco at point of sale and the restriction of tobacco in vending machines.
But bosses in Nottingham want more to be done to stop cigarettes getting into the hands of children.
Nottingham North MP Graham Allen said he wanted to see the Bill strengthened to completely ban the sale of tobacco through vending machines.
He said: "In general, I support any measures which help in curbing the number of tobacco related deaths in the UK.
"Smoking remains the largest cause of preventable death in the UK and will remain so unless tough measures are put in place to protect our children from the hazards of smoking."
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by david, lincs
Thursday, June 11 2009, 9:30AM
“- Some 38% of adults in Nottingham smoke, giving the city the second highest rate in the country.
Do people die younger in Nottingham from a higher incidence of so called 'smoking related diseases'?”
by Steve, Notts
Thursday, June 11 2009, 12:03AM
“The department of health is putting the £100,000 up, this is a government body. Why tinker around at the edges? The government should have the courage of there convictions and ban smoking period. Smokers will soon do their cold turkey and get over it, the country and smokers will be better for it too. There is a good argument for banning smoking now in this day and age the evidence is undisputable. It¿s not about free choice; addiction has taken free choice away from smokers. Addiction is an illness and banning smoking is what the government must do NOW.”
by Jonathan, Leicester
Wednesday, June 10 2009, 11:33PM
“Like enjoying a cigarette is the ultimate sin.How many people light up a cigarette and then start fighting shouting, and threatening violence and intimidating the public? No one.Yes you've guessed it,iam refering to the binge drinkers of booze Britain who after a few drinks wouldnt think twice about maiming or scaring you for life, Why? because you happen to bump into them in a pub or you unfortuinately catch there attention for some drunken reason So why is the smoker so victimised and looked down on by society, dont you thint binge drinkers and louts that cant have a drink without spilling out on to the streets terroriseing and subjecting all to there antisocial behaviour. This is not a figment of my imagine,it is fact.Go and spend an hour sitting in your local A&E at the weekeng and tell me how many people you see covered in blood or vomit as a result of enjoying a cigarette? Again no one.A ballance needs to be struck between the coverage that the smokers recieves in the media otherwise the seriousness of the drink problems will never seem that much of a problem compared to smokers.So please before criticiseing smokers, ask yourself this question..Would you prefer and feel safer walking past a bunch of smokers on the otherside of the road or chance walking down the same road with fighting or abuse being hurled at you, i know what my choice would be. Jonathan, Leicester”
by education, is wasted on morons
Wednesday, June 10 2009, 7:03PM
“gis a drag, dont tell me, your bad habit is the inability to spell - too much nicotine at a young age, or too much ar*e action from your ¿special friend¿ ??”
by Pete, notts
Wednesday, June 10 2009, 6:22PM
“or maybe zimbabwe so he can talk about gay rights with uncle bob”