31 December 2007
Speaking on the eve of taking up her new post as Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, Sheila Duffy said she wanted to take the organisation from strength to strength and outlined her priorities for the future.
Commenting, Ms Duffy said:
“Whilst 13,500 people across Scotland are dying from tobacco every year, then it is clear that ASH Scotland, as the leading organisation in tobacco control in Scotland, still has a lot of work to do.
“I have several priorities I want to take forward in the future. First I will be pushing the Scottish Government to introduce positive licensing of tobacco sales in their smoking prevention plan due next spring. Christine Grahame MSP is already consulting on this issue which would ensure that there was an effective deterrent against retailers who sell tobacco to under age people. Recent test purchasing exercises across Scotland show a third of shops sell to people underage but they often have to be caught more than once before any action, other than a warning, is taken. I want to see a fixed penalty notice handed out immediately and if retailers continue selling to those under age, then their licences could be suspended or revoked.
“I will also continue to highlight the widening health inequalities between Scots in affluent areas and those in deprived areas and call for smoking cessation services to be targeted at the areas which need it most. Smoking is Scotland’s biggest preventable killer and it’s most prevalent in poorer communities that have smoking rates double that of affluent areas. It’s important our policy and law makers realise that reducing smoking is part of a solution to helping poorer communities which already have a lot of life challenges to face as it will have a direct effect on improving health and finances. Whilst some parts of Scotland have benefited from reduced smoking rates and getting the message about the harmful effects of smoking, more work must be done to target harder-to-reach audiences and ensure cessation advice and services as well as health messages about quitting smoking are both accessible and available in our poorer communities. As part of that I want to expand the services of ASH Scotland especially in training cessation advisers.
“Prevention work amongst our young must also be a priority for everyone trying to reduce smoking and the damage it does to our nation’s health. Stopping young people taking up smoking and helping younger people to quit, will help reduce smoking rates in the future and reduce the toll on people’s personal health and NHS finances when treating tobacco related diseases. I also want to highlight to young people that the vast majority of them do not smoke and help break down the peer pressure that often pushes young people into starting to smoke. We should be encouraged that research shows that 85% of under 16s do not smoke and 47% of 15 year olds have never tried smoking.
“ASH Scotland will also be campaigning for point of sale tobacco displays to be removed and under-the-counter tobacco sales introduced. This would stop tobacco companies promoting and marketing their brands at the point of sale to young people and to those smokers who are trying to stop. We no longer have advertising in print and media and it is now time to close the loophole of allowing this lethal product to be advertised in our shops.
“I’m passionate about the important work ASH Scotland does and want to continue to take the organisation from strength to strength. I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”
Sheila Duffy takes up her new post on 1 January 2008.
ENDS
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