18 June 2008
Putting the boot into the bootleg tobacco industry will be a key topic under discussion during the 2008 Scottish Tobacco Control Alliance (STCA) Annual Meeting today (Wednesday 18 June).
80 representatives of local agencies from across Scotland will come together to discuss partnership working to prevent children from starting to smoke.
Already this year the Scottish Government has announced plans to remove promotional displays of tobacco products from shops – but that leaves the question of how to clamp down on black marketeers willing to sell cigarettes to children.
Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh Smoke Free North East, will tell delegates about the work being done in the North of England to highlight the harm cheap and illicit tobacco is having on local communities there. She will also give an overview of the North of England Action Plan on Cheap and Illicit Tobacco and the importance of developing partnerships to combat the problem.
Ms Rutter said:
“The supply of cheap and illegal sources of tobacco products is undermining all the other efforts to reduce smoking. These cheap packets can keep smokers addicted to the lethal toxic time bomb of tobacco smoke and make it easier for children to experiment with smoking”.
Within the Smoking Prevention Action Plan, published last month, the Scottish Government laid out plans to develop stronger links with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to crack down on illegal tobacco products which cost the UK Treasury nearly £3 billion pounds a year.
The aim of such action is to make it harder for children to access cheap, illegal cigarettes; with the hope they never start smoking in the first place - the key objective of the Smoking Prevention Action Plan.
David Thompson, Chair of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards Scotland, said:
“As Trading Standards Officers continue to clamp down on retailers who sell cigarettes to children, it’s vital that equal attention is given to ‘backstreet’ sellers who peddle counterfeit tobacco. To this end, working to develop greater links between Trading Standards and HMRC is essential."
Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, Sheila Duffy said:
“Much of Scotland’s success in bringing about innovative public health legislation has been down to organisations working in partnership. The pulling together of expertise within the STCA is an example of how we can make a real difference to the health of the people of Scotland now and in the future.”
“To ensure future generations don’t become hooked on cheap, illicit cigarettes it’s important the law continues to be enforced. Often those supplying counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes are viewed as ‘Robin Hood’ type figures, but this is an image we must get away from as both the large scale smuggling of illegal cigarettes and the counterfeit trade are linked with organised crime. Law enforcement agencies face new challenges in the fight against illicit tobacco and must have the strategy and resources to keep it away from our children”.
ENDS
Sheila Duffy is available for interview on Tuesday PM or Wednesday AM.
For further details contact Mandy Carter on 0131 220 9466 / 0131 225 4725
Notes for editors
1. ASH Scotland is the leading voluntary organisation campaigning for effective measures to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco.
ASH Scotland is a registered Scottish charity (SC 010412).
2. The STCA is a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral body of over 120 organisations concerned with the impact of tobacco on Scotland and its people. It provides a forum for information exchange and a voice for those working in the tobacco field to influence policy development.
3. Scotland’s future is smoke free A Smoking Prevention Action Plan http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/13
4. Tobacco smuggling – a briefing paper is available from ASH Scotland and can be downloaded from www.ashscotland.org.uk.
5. For more information, facts and references about tobacco, contact ASH Scotland’s expert information service on 0131 225 4725 or by email at enquiries@ashscotland.org.uk