Be smoke-free this New Year



Issued by City of York Council

This new year City of York Councilis supporting a hard-hitting stop smoking campaign launched by the Department of Health.

The campaign warns smokers that just 15 cigarettes cause a mutation that can lead to cancerous tumours. The publicity features a tumour growing on a cigarette as it is smoked and aims to encourage people to quit over health concerns, by making the invisible damage visible.

Presenting smokers with the shocking truth behind cigarettes, the campaign encourages those trying to quit to pick up a free Quit Kit from their local pharmacy to help them along their journey.

It comes in response to statistics that show more than a third of smokers still think the health risks associated with smoking are greatly exaggerated.

Designed to show that every pack of cigarettes is potentially harmful, the campaign sends a tough message about the dangers of smoking to a new generation of young people – many of whom will never have seen such hard-hitting messaging since they took up the habit.

Smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in England and each year it accounts for over 100,000 deaths in the UK. In York, this means that five people die every week as a direct result of smoking, most of whom will die up to ten years earlier than non smokers.

Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Adult Social Services said: “We want to help as many people as possible in York to become smokefree. I know how difficult it can be to stop smoking, but after quitting myself 13 years ago I feel like my quality of life has increased substantially. If you are a smoker you can quit too with the help of a Quit Kit, a box of practical tools and advice developed with experts, smokers and ex-smokers, which has helped thousands of smokers quit successfully.”

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, City of York Council’s Director of Public Health said: “It is paramount that smokers are aware of the damage that each cigarette does to their bodies and those around them. It is also important that the message is spread that people who are trying to quit smoking are not alone and that there is help for them to quit. This can be done by using tools such as a Quit Kits which are available to collect free of charge from local pharmacies.”

Anyone looking to quit can visit smokefree.nhs.uk for information, support or to find the nearest participating pharmacy for a free Quit Kit.



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