SCOT - the Scottish Coalition on Tobacco - is a dynamic coalition of partners which campaigns on all matters relating to tobacco and health. The alliance was founded in a previous form by ASH Scotland in 1999, bringing together organisations with shared concerns, interests and views. The combined influence of SCOT adds weight to policies and campaigning, and demands the attention of all policy makers. SCOT's membership comes from health groups, charities and civic and voluntary organisations, and plays an important role in shaping a positive future for public health in Scotland.
Members include ASH Scotland, British Heart Foundation Scotland, British Lung Foundation Scotland, British Medical Association, Cancer Research UK, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal College of Nursing, The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Stroke Association, and the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.
SCOT aims to further reduce the harm caused by tobacco in Scotland and to campaign for better tobacco control. The organisations involved in SCOT share information and best practice, create policies on tobacco control and smoking, campaign on specific tobacco or smoking issues, respond to relevant consultations, and provide advice and information to the public, politicians, and the media.
The coalition provides a platform to share view with other organisations and with policy makers as it works closely with the Scottish Government, NHS Health Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Tobacco Control. Its collective approach means that SCOT has become an influential and respected voice in public health, with the secretariat being provided by ASH Scotland, the leading charity campaigning for effective tobacco control in Scotland.
Updated April 2011.
