The Isle of Wight Festival will start the ball rolling on two roadshows, that will provide information about a new consultation on the plain packaging of cigarettes.
The consultation is underway about the possible introduction of standardised packaging for tobacco products – and Isle of Wight NHS Trust is urging people to make their views known.
If you want to take part in the Consultation or wish to stop smoking and require some help then the Plain Packaging Road shows will be arriving on the Isle of Wight from Friday 22nd June for two days. Plain packaging ambassadors, will talk to locals and tourists to promote the online petition and campaign website: www.plainpacksprotect.co.uk
They will attending:
• Isle of Wight Festival, Newport on Friday 22nd June
• Newport Town Centre on the Saturday 23rd June.
The Consultation is running for 12 weeks from 16th April 2012 to 10th July 2012 with Smoke Free Road Shows taking place across the South East of England.
Medical Director and Acting Chief Operating Officer at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Dr Mark Pugh, says: “The facts speak for them selves. People who smoke die earlier and smoking causes significant illness and suffering. We must do all we can to prevent young people taking up this terrible habit. Can I also remind Islanders that St. Mary’s Hospital and all NHS premises, including the grounds, are ‘smoke free’ zones.”
Tobacco use remains one of the most significant challenges to public health across the United Kingdom. Today around 21 per cent of adults in Great Britain smoke. Smoking is harmful not only to smokers but also to the people around them. Smoking is the primary cause of preventable morbidity and premature death, accounting each year for over 100,000 deaths in the United Kingdom.
The Department of Health are considering additional action that could be taken to reduce tobacco use. Every year, another 340,000 children in the UK are tempted to try smoking. And evidence suggests that they are more likely to be attracted by designed tobacco packs, than by plain packs.
Information about the prevalence of smoking on the Isle of Wight and its impact can be found in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) click here for website link.
If the proposal is approved, it would mean that all tobacco products would be required to look the same. Standardised packaging could consist of, for example:
• No branding
• A uniform colour
• A standard font and text for any writing on the pack.
Visit the Plain Packs Protect website: www.plainpacksprotect.co.uk to lend your support. Alternatively, respond to the full consultation on the Department of Health website: http://consultations.dh.gov.uk/tobacco/standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products/consult_view link.
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